We Are Shadows
by Zarius
Summary: A reinterpretation of the TMNT legend. Journalist April O'Neil is determined to uncover the truth behind "Magic Monday", but as she peers into the rabbit hole, she and her boyfriend Casey Jones are swept into an altogether more sinister, warped version of wonderland.
1. Chapter 1

**TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES:**

**WE ARE SHADOWS**

**WRITTEN BY ZARIUS**

**This is the novelization of a fanfilm script I have been writing since late 2012.**

**Unlike my other TMNT fanfics, which are set within the Fred Wolf Cartoon universe, this story takes place within its own unique continuity, although it is peppered with many characters from the comics and the original cartoon, as well as some original players. I hope you enjoy this. I've had a lot of fun being immersed in this world.**

**-Zarius**

**Disclaimer: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are trademarked by Nickelodeon. Original cartoon characters are trademarked by Fred Wolf. All original characters are mine.**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

The heavily active New York city streets were coated with heavy traffic and frantic shopaholic citizens. Behind the wheels of some of these vehicles were drivers of quick and immediate temper.

Waiting, demanding, that the red traffic lights turn a bright green. Impatience soon got the better of one driver at the very front of the traffic, as he tried to push his car forward, stopped only when a tall lanky woman in a grayish coat that seemed far too long for her, suddenly walked out in front of it.

"Watch where you're going ya dozy flake" heckled the driver

"Hey, I'm sorry alright. I'll wait 'till it goes green next time I'm early for something, right now I'm late" the woman replied.

"Just move it before I start seeing red" the man said

"Yeah, yeah" the woman mumbled, and quickly walked over to the next street.

Finally, the lights turned green and the busy pile-up began to flow as smoothly as it could manage through the city.

The woman continued her journey, she turned right and approached a series of apartment buildings. She pulled out her cell phone and punched in a few numbers.

"Hi, Mr. Fenwick? " she said as she got through to someone on the other end, "This is Irma. Irma Langenstien. Listen, can you cover for me for a few hours at work tomorrow morning? I've got to return something to a friend of mine and she lives downtown, I don't have any money for a ride back so I'll be driven in to work by her in the afternoon. That ok? I know it's only my third day, but I'm 99% sure this won't happen again"

As she talked, a man ran up behind her, and tapped her on the shoulder

"Excuse me, can I borrow your phone?" he asked

"Get lost" Irma replied, and continued to walk down the street, picking up some slight speed to try and distance herself from the man, who was'nt about to take no for an answer and he began to catch up on her. Seemingly restless, he e put his hands in his pockets, then as quickly took them out again, then put both hands on his head and looked at the sky . Slouching slightly, he composed himself and cut in front of Irma.

"It's urgent." he said.

"Shoo already" Irma replied

At his wits end, the man made a desperate grab for the phone.

"Just gimme it" he said

"Hey, let go" Irma yelled, struggling to maintain possession of her phone, but the man eventually won out,, As soon as the phone was in his possession, he quickly seized an opportunity to run. Irma tried going after him, only to be hampered by one of her heels snapping off, causing her to trip.

Picking herself up, she tore the broken shoe off her foot, scooped it up, and tossed it at the thief, but it barely registered a mark.

"Asshole" Irma screamed. The thief paid her no mind and before long, he faded from sight. leaving Irma alone.

"Great...just...ugh" Irma said, spotting a fire hydrant next to her. Aggravated by the situation, she motioned to kick it, but eventually relented.

Mad with anxiety, and starting to lose his breath from his panicked running, the thief stopped to collect his breath. Stopping at a nearby bridge, he leaned gently against the barricade and pressed several numbers on the phone he had just "acquired".

He locked in the final number and gently placed the phone to his ear, awaiting an answer on the other end. Finally, he got one, a sense of euphoria came over him

"Hello..." came a voice.

"Maxwell?" the man said, snapping back to life and into action, "It's Prince, listen, tell them not to..."

"...Please leave a message after the beep" the voice concluded. Prince groaned and cursed under his breath.

"Who in this goddamn century uses an answering machine?" he said, before realizing he was still talking into the phone. He composed himself and started again

"Max...WHEN you get this, tell them NOT to go through with "Magic Monday", you gotta..." he started, before stopping dead in his tracks as a long shadow loomed over him, he looked up, placed one hand over his head and gulped.

"Oh god" he said, still talking into the phone, "They've found me"

A hand grabbed Prince's ill-gained phone and crushed it in one tight grip.

Prince attempted to make a run for it but was tripped up. Prince tried to crawl away, but was soon lifted high into the air by the scruff of his neck.

Prince soon came face to face with his attacker as it stared intently at him. It was a near featureless figure attired in black , wearing a purple mask.. Its eyes glowing an eerie yellow.

Prince closed his eyes, giving into his fear. He began silently whispering some semblance of prayer. His attacker clenched it's right hand, forming a rock hard fist.

Suddenly, an unsheathing of metal could be heard. Sensing the presence of another, the figure turned around, and, in doing so, was met with a fierce and swift punch to the temple. Reeling back, the figure dropped Prince to the ground .

As Prince gathered himself and gazed upwards, he spotted a heavy looking figure in a long trench coat wearing a brown hat. In his hands were a pair of sais.

Prince's attacker turned its head, revealing that its face had been partially split open by the attack.

The purple hooded attacker turns its head, revealing that it's mask has been slashed. The contents beneath the mask were fascinating, they showcased a slightly damaged metallic cheek with loose wires and small sparks igniting from the gash.

The attacker stood before Prince and his rescuer, revealed to both as some sort of robot.

It moved forward to attack, but it's attacker quickly retaliated with a swift roundhouse kick, once again aimed at the head. The robot responded by lunging forward and grappling with its opponent, eventually launching into a series of moves commonly associated with mixed martial arts tactics.

High kicks, uppercuts, and for a few manageable seconds, ground and pound, all of which were countered seamlessly by the stranger.

After several minutes at war with each other, the two became temporarily deadlocked and came to a standstill. Each waiting patiently for the other to make the next move.

The stranger in the trench coat utilized the same roundhouse tactic, only to make the crucial mistake of underestimating his foe as the robot blocked it this time, grabbing the foot and applying pressure to it. It's opponent yelled in great pain.

Remembering his sai, the mysterious stranger hurled one of them towards the robot's right eye and scored a direct hit, successfully impairing it's vision.

However, for all the damage done to it, the robot maintained its hold on the figure's foot.

In a sudden burst of courage, Prince ambushed the robot from behind, delivering several blows to its back.

"Get away from him" Prince said, caring little if his punches made any difference, so long as it diverted the robots attention and allow his would-be rescuer the chance to recover and possibly respond.

His gambit paid off as the robot let go of its opponent.

He continued reigning down blow after timid blow, but the robot shook off the attacks with ease and grabbed Prince by the throat.

Suddenly, the metal sai shot through the robot's chest, slipping through its delicate circuitry like a butter knife. The robot's attacker continued to turn the dagger ever so slowly into it.

Prince felt the grip of the robot loosen, and before long he found himself on the ground as it dropped him. The robot's eyes flickered between yellow and grey, sparks ignited from its chest wounds and a tiny fire broke out. Finally, it kneeled over and ceased to function. Its exhausted opponent sank to the ground as well, as he did, his hat fell off. Prince bent over to pick it up, offering it back to his rescuer

"Hey, thanks man" he said.

The stranger got up and brushed himself down

"Watch your definition pal, "man" I ain't'" he said

"You doping or something?" Prince replied, "You..."

The stranger titled his head up, Prince took a few steps back.

The stranger's features were distinctly not human. His face was green, he looked almost reptilian in nature, his eyes were covered by some kind of red bandana.

Prince rubbed his eyes and double-checked to see if his vision was playing tricks. It was not.

Standing before him was, incredibly, a giant Turtle.

"You're...you're not.." Prince began, trying to finish the sentence but was too overcome with fright to finish.

"Yeah yeah, to be or not to be. Can you get over your spazzing-out and tell me why this hunk of nuts and bolts was attacking you?" The stranger replied

Prince responded by making a run for it.

"Get away from me man, just get away" he yelled as he fled

The stranger put his hat back on his head and sighed.

"Yeah run, just remember who beat the Hare to the finish line. Deadbeat" he said aloud to himself.

He walked over to the robot and picked it up, throwing it over his shoulder, and began a long journey back over the bridge, the robots weight making it difficult to walk.

_"Donny will want a look at this"_ he thought to himself.

As he looked upwards at the sky and stared at the stars, another thought came to him.

_"When did life become such a cartoon?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

The following morning saw a clear bright blue early summer sky grace the city.

All the misery and commotion of the previous night had subsided in the city streets, and in the quieter urban neighborhoods, the simple things were in full swing.

Postmen were doing their rounds, children were disembarking from home en route to school and people were hosing down their front lawns with water.

As all this went on, a compact smart-looking car pulled up at the run way of one of the houses. From it emerged a female brunette dressed in grey jeans and a yellow t-shirt, in her hands was a portable video camera.

Her neighbor eyed her up and waved to her

"Morning April" he said

"Hey Mr. Thompson" April O'Neil replied, waving back.

She approached the front door of her home and fiddled with the keys to the front door. She inserted the key into the lock and pulled the door, only to find it remained firmly shut.

April swiftly realized the door was already open to begin with and that she had gone and locked it again

_"She forgot to lock the door again"_ April thought, and quickly unlocked and opened the door.

As she entered the house, she began calling out the name of the one person who could be so absent-minded.

"Irma?" she said, "Irma, it's me...Irma?"

After calling Irma's name upstairs, she walked into the living room, and stopped dead.

There she was, sprawled on the couch, still wearing her long coat. Her high heels were lying on the floor, one of which was broken.

April sighed and moved over to Irma, and causally shook her awake

"C'mon, up and at 'em" April said,

Irma gradually began to stir and turned over to make eye contact with April, still half-asleep

"Wake me up when I miss my funeral" a groggy Irma replied, before turning over again.

Frustrated, April tried pulling Irma off the coach, but eventually gave up.

"How'd you break your heels?" April asked.

"They just gave out when I was chasing some douche bag who stole my phone" Irma explained.

April was alarmed by this news.

"You were robbed? Oh Irma I'm sorry, are you ok?" she asked

"Yeah, too bad, I got a sweet deal from those shoes" Irma said. April smiled, caring more about footwear than the phone was textbook behavior from her friend.

"Funny, I hear they're a brand new range" April added, humoring Irma, "They couldn't have dropped in price that quickly"

"No, the guy who gave me them was the sweet deal" Irma replied, correcting her.

"Oh Irma, you didn't..." she began

"Uh-Huh" Irma replied

"What dating site was it?" April asked

Irma turned around again, realizing April wasn't going to let her drift back to sleep.

"Men with Shoes" she said, "I can't blame 'em for their quality, he got them from his last date, and she could barely fit in them. Then again, he had a thing for fat women in slim fittings..."

"Fetish dating is unpredictable and dangerous. I've told this from eternity onwards" April lectured. Irma was dismissive.

"Yeah well I don't have eternity, none of us do, and I've long given up on the "perfect guy" bullshit the self-help books feed you with. Life is full of imperfections. I'd rather live with lowered expectation. I took a gorgeous guy with broken shoes as the half-glass"

"Would it kill you to be more optimistic?" April asked

"I'd have to find better company first" Irma retorted.

"And what's wrong with me?" April said

"Well, you're the one who's fascinated with watching perceived imperfections of the city fall apart around you. You cover it frequently and it breaks my heart" Irma replied, "To see such labors of love come undone is just way too much"

"They're JUST old buildings Irma" April replied

"Back when they were constructed they held meaning for some people. Place of work, places of play, and all because of progress we have to let them go?" Irma asked, now fully awake as her sentimental side kicked into high gear.

"You can't stay trapped in the past all your life Irma, life goes on" April said.

There was a brief and tense silence as the two women realized it was best not to sour their morning with any conflicting viewpoints

April headed into the kitchen, where her computer laptop was situated. She sat down and began making preparations to upload what was in her camera to the computer.

"So...did you get it all on film? The latest demolition?" Irma asked, trying to keep on the subject without bringing in her personal feelings.

"I'm uploading it to the blog now" April said. "Listen, before I do so, I'm going to start recording my podcast. If you INSIST on cruising through the rest of the morning in slumber land, just crash on my bed, I don't mind, I don't get to use it much anyway" she added.

"Even when HE's sleeping over?" Irma asked.

"Cut it out" April said, "He sleeps with his boots on. All the time. No way are they touching my sheets"

April activated her webcam and pressed the "RECORD" button. She opened up her internet explorer and set about opening a Youtube-esque info dump website called Channel 6.

When the red light on the webcam began to blink, April began her podcast.

"Hey 5: O'clock shadows, this is April O'Neil for CHANNEL 6, coming up with the latest from yesterday's action from "Wild Wednesday", the day the city's wildest drinking tavern, _The Portal,_ served up it's last call, as it became the latest of the old town landmarks to be demolished by what has been described by many as a "mystery method". No explosives. No wrecking crews on the outside…who or what is behind the controlled chaos is the subject of much debate. With only a few months to go before "Magic Monday", where the last of the old town landmarks, the city renowned MIRAGE theatre will see a curtain call like no other, will the mystery be solved by then? Only…"

Suddenly, her own phone went off, forcing her to abruptly stop her recording

"Ah shoot" she said, and answered the phone in a sharp and irritated tone.

"Hello?" she said.

As April answered the phone, Irma finally elected to get up off the coach, she stretched her arms out and do some on-the-spot Yoga exercises.

Her calm routine was cut short by the sharp sound of April complaining

"AGAIN? How long?" she asked, her temper flaring up. "Uh-Huh, well tell him I need him up all night, and then some. Ok? Don't you wear him out before then right? Bye"

"Who was it?" Irma asked

"Laird down at the old Eastman Leisure Center" April revealed, "They need Casey down there all afternoon cleaning out the Ice Rink"

"At least that's one floor he can't get dirty" Irma remarked

"Hey, leave him alone, he's a sweet guy" April said

"Too sweet if you ask some of the ladies down there" Irma commented, "One in particular springs to mind..."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

At the Eastman Leisure Centre, Casey Jones was in a whole different business of mopping.

He was intent on mopping the floor with someone.

Provided they didn't let up trying the same with him.

He reeled back in pain as he reacted to a swift blow to the face, his nose bloodied.

He heard the roar of a feverish crowd all around him, a crowd comprised of degenerate young and middle-aged men and women, all stationed in the seats surrounding the ice rink Casey was doing his best to stand on without skates. Only the glass windows were keeping them from pouring their pure predatory fury from pouring out on to the rink.

Casey took his time recovering, and his opponent, a muscular but pudgy blonde male brandishing a rhinosaurous tattoo, was content to let him. While waiting, he cracked his gloved knuckles with relish and spat out some tobacco.

Reckoning Casey had been given enough time, the heavy charged towards him, but he was able to duck clear in time.

The man smashed head-first into the wall, but, incredibly, he wasn't fazed or downed by the impact.

Aggravated, he turned around and charged at Casey again.

This time the attack was successful. Casey was picked off his feet and both men tumbled into the hockey benches. The crowd reacted with a unified "Ohh" and then resumed heckling.

Casey tried to get up, but his adversary seized a window of opportunity and got on top of him. He scooped Casey's head up in the heavy palm of his right hand.

"Time to start punching the clock Jones" the man said, and began dealing blow after blow to Casey with his free hand.

As his foe continued reigning down the blows, Casey managed to catch a glimpse of a digital clock high atop the stands, counting down from fifty-two seconds. The muscular man, as well as the crowd, were chanting the seconds as they ticked away.

The valiant young fighter, in what was his last active chance of defiance, head butted his adversary, who reeled back. Casey did not come away unscathed either, as he felt the full force of his opponent's physical build.

The countdown continued, the digital clock now reaching "twenty-eight", followed by "twenty-seven" and so forth.

Casey looked around for something, anything, to keep his foe down for the count. His eagle eyes fixated on a nearby sports bag with a hockey mask and stick sticking out of it. Thinking fast, he grabbed the mask and stick, placing the mask on his face and swinging the stick wildly around.

The clock ticked down to twenty-three, twenty-two, twenty-one

His foe moved forward. Casey cautioned him with the stick, his opponent laughed.

"This ain't exactly Friday the 14th" the man said, mocking the Jason Voorhees look of Casey.

Casey was dumbstruck by what he heard and set about correcting his opponent.

"13th, it's Friday the 13th you useless FUCK" Casey replied.

"14th, 13th, doesn't matter, you ain't lasting those kinda numbers with me"

"Kinda like all your girlfriends right, come late to the party don't cha?" Casey retorted.

This angered the man. Big time.

He started swinging punches, some connected to Casey's face, but his hockey mask was able to shield him from the brunt of the blows. Casey soon retaliated, swinging the puck into his opponent.

He reeled back, but didn't fall. Casey swung again, this time thrusting the stick into the man's chest.

The man smiled and grabbed Casey with both hands and wrapped his arms around him, snaring him in a tight bear hug.

The crowd and the clock were now down to thirteen, twelve, eleven.

Almost out of time, Casey observed his foes' body, looking anywhere to score a critical hit.

He found it by kicking his opponent in the groin with his legs. The man howled and let go of Casey, who hoisted the stick above his head and brought it down on the back of the man, who was soon floored.

As he turned his body around, his face was met by a thunderous barrage of hits from the hockey stick.

Fourteen blows followed in succession, all in retaliation for busting up Casey's nose earlier.

The clock ticked down to eight, seven, six, the crowd counting down as it did so.

Casey finished the battle with a fifteenth and devastating strike to his head before calmly dropping the stick as the clock and the sheepish crowd finally got to the zero mark.

There was a loud uproar from the crowd, who had gotten their money's worth. A lanky man in a black shirt raised Casey's hand in victory. An announcer addressed the audience.

"The winner of this bout, Casey Jones" the announcer bellowed.

Whilst the crowd was thrilled, Casey was less so.

He ignored the chants of his name and walked back through the curtain , he tore off the hockey mask, exhausted and angry.

The man he defeated was carried to the back also, other trainees rushing over to tend to him.

Casey was soon confronted by a short balding man. Laird. Casey's boss.

And_ occasional_ fight booker.

"Hey there, my main man. Glad you didn't take Rocksteady's shit, he can be a crass..."

Casey cut him off

"Why didn't Tortelli take the bet?" he asked

Laird breathed heavy and scratched his head

"Something came up" he said.

"Oh no, don't give me that shit" Casey snapped, "The plan was pretty straight forward. Tortelli takes the bet, he lets me kick his ass, I take the money with NO bruises, no missing teeth, nothing irregular to show off to my girlfriend, and I'm gone for the weekend"

"Ok, ok, I'll level" Laird replied, "Tortelli skipped town. He said he got something in his ear"

"More like SomeONE in his ear" Casey remarked

"Kid, you don't do yourself any favors 'round here" a flustered Laird responded, "Maybe if you dropped the attitude people wouldn't be playing games…"

"Sticking me in there with Rocksteady isn't playtime. I have plans tonight" Casey replied

Laird got a little red in the face, upset at Casey's ungrateful behaviour and apparent entitlement issues, he began pointing his chubby finger at Casey's chest.

"Hey, you may have built a bit of a bridge with that crowd out there, but that don't mean you get to burn the one I'm stepping on pal. Out of the kindness of my heart I covered for your ass and told your girlfriend you'd be doing something a little less physically challenging"

Casey pointed to his nose.

"And how are we gonna cover THIS genius?" he said

Laird handed Casey a mop and patted him on the shoulder.

"Just tell her you slipped on the ice cleaning up. Trust me kid, you'll always land on your feet with her around" he said

Laird slipped Casey's earnings, a cool $1500 into his hand, and walked away. Casey dropped the mop and searched his pockets for a lighter he had stashed. Eventually, he found it. He went over to his locker and took out a packet of cigarettes.

Just as he lit one up, he caught sight of someone standing in front of him. A female in a black and red blazer and short skirt with soft brown hair. A female who happened to be pregnant.

Very pregnant.

She had her arms folded, her face, while alluring, was stern, as if she were a strict school teacher crudely marking someone's homework.

Casey knew this woman a to have a firm grip on life...and an ever loosening grip on him.

"You look like shit" she said.

"Did you come here to see me get flushed Gabrielle?" Casey replied.

"'Course not" she said

"Then why are you here?" Casey asked

"I thought you were doing your job. Your regular job. Thought you could do with someone to talk to while you bored yourself silly mopping the floors, but you can forget that now" Gabrielle replied.

"Look, the weekend's coming up, I didn't have a cent for it and the work wasn't gonna cover the kind of things I've got planned for April, so me and Laird worked out a deal...not that it came together all that fluently, but at least it came together through a little bit of me and a lot more luck"

"Yeah, good for you" Gabrielle said in a sarcastic tone. She examined his bleeding nose.

"That obviously want an easy fight out there" she said

Casey smiled, and took out the cash, flaunting in Gabrielle's face.

"Hey, when it comes to plans, I'm the blueprint" he said

"Consider those plans dashed. Hand the money over" Gabrielle replied, holding out her hand.

Casey got defensive.

"For god's sake Gabrielle, you get enough from me cleaning up this place" he said

"It's not for me, it's for junior" Gabrielle said.

"Junior's not even BORN yet" Casey yelled

"And when Junior is, I want him or her to have something that gives it a little glimmer of hope, that there are people in this world whose lives don't depend on back alley pushers and prize fighting blood sports, I want junior to be proud of the place it's brought up in, and not get dragged into one the father is a slave to"

"Look, I'm not going to be here forever" Casey assured her

"Does that mean you're going to give up that "crack" reporter too?" Gabrielle asked

"Not a chance" Casey replied.

"Then I guess you're not gonna be around us forever are you? Goodnight bloodsport"

Taking the money from Casey, she walked away.

Casey, left without his earnings, looked into the eye slit of the hockey mask.

He tossed it aside, picked up the discarded mop and walked back to the now evacuated ice rink, and, armed with only his thoughts, commenced cleaning.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

In a rural suburban neighborhood, on the curb of an apartment complex, two children, a boy and a girl, were playing with action figures and dolls.

"Alright, now Mondo Gecko is gonna swoop in and save your dumb dolly" the boy said.

"Why can't the girl save herself?" asked the girl.

"Have you never seen a single love story in your life?" The boy replied, slightly annoyed.

"Why this does even need to be a love story? Can't the girl just be friends with Mondo Gecko?"

Her friend gave her a disgusted look. "FRIENDS?" he said out loud.

"Well...it's just he's not very attractive is he? He's a freak. Regular people don't fall in love with freaks, there's no appeal there"

"What about Beauty and the Beast? The girl fell in love with him" the boy replied.

"The Beast was a human being under a curse" the girl replied, correcting him.

"That always felt like they were cheating the audience" the boy responded, "They spend all that time making us think a "freak" has a chance and then he's magically relieved of his burdens and anything that could prove a compelling obstacle in the relationship"

As the children argued, the door of an apartment building to the far left of them burst open and three hooded men rapidly stormed out, one of them was holding a case of loose valuables, some of which spilled onto the ground. When the crooks had realized they were leaving a trail, they picked as much as they could up.

The crooks raced across the street as an elderly woman emerged from the apartment's broken door, her face was awash with anger and concern.

"Help, someone, please" she cried

Overtaken by excitement, the boy got up and began to chase after the crooks, the girl remained anchored to the curb.

"Where are you going?" she yelled

"Those guys are heading for Klunk's avenue. I gotta warn Mike, I got him a Pizza, he's down there right now taking bites"

"What if they're armed?" the girl asked

"Mike can hand it" the boy said, running off

"This isn't a cartoon Zach, be careful" the girl said.

As she watched him go, another kid came up to her, having heard all of the commotion

"Hey Jeannette, where's Zach going?" he asked

"He's gonna totally get himself and Mike killed" the girl replied.

"I am so gonna watch that" the boy said, and told a few other kids that had gathered what was going on. Before long, they were all chasing after Zach. Jeannette remained seated, lacking the courage to join them.

In an alleyway to the right of Klunk's avenue, amongst two carefully parked dumpsters, was an open manhole and an open pizza box. A half-devoured pizza lay within it.

There was ravenous munching and sounds of satisfactory "hmms" and "ahhhs" as a green hand with yellow wristbands grabbed another slice from the box.

The creature inhaled the slice, identifying just from the smell what kind of flavor it was.

"Vanilla chocolate. Exquisite" the creature exclaimed, and devoured the slice. Almost immediately, he took another portion out of the box, and, like before, inhaled the smell.

"Caramel Cheddar" he said, "That one's a bit more experimental...but just as enticing"

He crammed it into his mouth, showing no manners.

Meanwhile, the three crooks, continuing to make their getaway, cut through the avenue, followed closely by Zach and the others. They ducked into the alleyway occupied by the creature

The thieves began to cause commotion amongst themselves, which the creature is able to overhear from its hiding place from behind the dumpsters.

"C'mon Bebop, is anything in there that verifies what we need to know?" asked one of the crooks

"I'm looking Shark, but I just don't see the big deal about this" Bebop said as he scraped through the box of valuables, stumbling on a few things.

As he did so, one of the thieves spotted Zach heading towards them

"That brat's heading over here. I'll take 'em" he said, but was stopped by another of the crooks

"No, no, we're not having_ that_ kind of case thrown on us if we're caught" he said, "C'mon, help move these frickin' dumpsters that can cover us from view"

The dumpsters were soon pulled apart, and in doing, they were exposed to the creature. The thieves stood in amazement at the sight of a giant Turtle wearing a yellow bandana.

"What in blistering Jesus..." said Bebop.

"Hey dudes, what's stressing you?" the Turtle asked

"What is that thing?" asked one of the crooks

"Dunno, looks like something from Power Rangers" Bebop said.

"Hey, I'm not THAT old" the Turtle exclaimed in annoyance.

The crook spotted the open manhole

"Open invitation, let's split" he said.

The thieves moved forward, the Turtle stood in front of them.

"Get the fuck out of our way" one crook said.

"Chillax guys" the Turtle said, "Look, why don't we all sit down and take a bite, there's plenty left, and they're doing a hybrid special, you won't _believe_ what's coated on some of these..."

Before he could finish, one of the thieves, with one firm foot forward, treaded on the pizza box and scraped it's contents across the ground with his foot

All of a sudden, the Turtles beaming personality suddenly dissolved into a colder, more sinister demeanor.

"Not. Cool" he said

Zach and the kids suddenly turned up, diverting everyone's attention

"Michelangelo, be careful, those hoods robbed Mrs. Ester" yelled Zach.

"The pizza more than sufficed Zach" Michelangelo said.

"We don't have time for this shit, gut 'em" instructed Bebop

The crooks took out sharp knives from their jacket pockets. Michelangelo had little time to analyze the situation, as one of the crooks lunged at him with the knife, the other joining in. Michelangelo ducked the attacks, and swept the legs from underneath all three with a swift spin kick. The crooks fell to the floor, with Michelangelo quickly getting up.

Bebop was quick to recover and tried to thrust his knife into the Turtle's side, but the creature turned around, allowing the knife to hit his shell, he then unhooked two nun chucks from his front belt buckle and swung around, the nun chucks catching Bebop in the face as he did so.

Another of the crooks got up and tried to rush Michelangelo, but the Turtle caught him in the stomach with a well timed blow from his elbow, he then brought his knee up, crashing it into the crook's chin. The third crook then tried his luck, and managed to get some licks in, throwing two well placed punched that knocked one of the Turtle's tooth out of its socket.

Michelangelo clasped his hands together

"Right then" he yelled. His frustrations building

He deposited the nun chucks back into his belt and clenched his fists. He was ready for a street fight.

He and the thief exchanged blow after blow, at first his foe deflected two right and left hook and got in more licks on the front and side of Michelangelo's face, but he was able to spot a window of opportunity and grabbed another incoming hook with his hand and jabbed the crook in the left eye with his free hand, he then smacked the crook once in the nose and brought a fist down atop his foe's vulnerable head. Overwhelmed by the offense, the crook went down

With his two friends out for the count, Bebop seized the moment and retreated, scampering out of the alleyway, cutting past the assorted crowd of kids without his ill-gotten goods, having dropped the box of valuables.

The kids cheered on the display they had just witnessed.

"That was so cool" said Zach, "You totally creamed those bastards"

"Language dude" Michelangelo cautioned.

The Turtle picked up Mrs. Ester's box and handed it over to his young friend.

"Take these back to Ester, and call the police quick as you can when you get home. These clowns ain't gonna be snoozing long"

He walked over to the open manhole and began to climb down the ladder, he took one last glance at the remains of his pizza and sighed

"Come to my house sometime" Zach said, "You'd be more than welcome, we could get more pizza, you could get a wash…"

"Maybe some other life Zach. Folks like me got reasons to keep some distance"

"We're glad you're never too far away Mike" one of the kids said

Zach looked at his action figure, and, feeling inspired, handed it over to the Turtle.

"Here, Michelangelo, meet Mondo Gecko"

"Really? For me?" Michelangelo said, his face beaming, "Sweet dude...this is the one with the rotating buzz saw right?"

"Open his chest up" Zach instructed.

Michelangelo complied and opened the chest compartment of the toy. Sure enough, there was a buzz saw inside of it.

"I'm truly blessed" he said, "I'd hug you but..."

"...I know, totally gay" Zach said.

Michelangelo descended down the ladder, the kids peering down the manhole, all with smiles, watching him sink into the darkness and ultimately vanish into the sewers below


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

April's car pulled up at a curb near times square as she set about dropping off Irma around her place of work.

"Thanks for putting up with me today" Irma said

"Anytime" April replied

"Next time I crash at your place, I'll be sure to lock it down" Irma continued, apologizing for leaving the door unlocked earlier.

"Well, Casey's gonna have to keep that in mind tomorrow, he's keeping watch while I head back over the bridge to check out the ruins of _The Portal_" April revealed.

"What for?" Irma asked

"My sources that work closely with the crews on the site say they found something in the debris that could blow the whole lid on the mystery methods being used to bring these buildings down. Channel 6 is fronting the money now that Google's sponsoring them, so I'll be able to pay off the sources in exchange for information" April continued.

"Well in the meantime, I've got to go through Mr. Wrong now that Mr. Right caused me to fall head over heels in the worst possible way last night" Irma said, and opened the door of the car to get out.

"You take care Irma, and remember, no dating sites" April cautioned

"Trust me…I'm swearing to you now. There won't be a MAN in sight where I'm concerned. I'm _way _past them at this rate" Irma assured her.

The two exchanged a quick hug before Irma left the car and her friend behind. April waving to her as she slipped into the busy New York crowd heading to work.

April pulled the car out of the curb and drove down the street. Whilst driving, April used her free hand to fiddle with her right pocket, looking for something, eventually she found her cell phone and dialed in Casey's number.

"…Casey? Yeah, it's me. Listen, I'm feeling the need for some ice skating, why don't you stay put at work tonight? I'll join you then"

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Elsewhere, a panicked Bebop speedily walked through the harbor docks heading towards a nearby warehouse situated to the distant right of him. As he approached the building, he nervously paced back and forth, unsure of whether or not to go inside, for he had come back empty-handed, and with none of his men.. Failure in every sense of the word.

Finding the courage, he entered the building.

Inside, it was dimly lit, filled with smoke and reeking of sweat and drink. A snooker table was situated in the middle of the room while situated on the second floor, was a vast hub of computer monitors.

Bebop tried to make as little eye contact as possible with the men who were stationed in the warehouse, wanting to let them get on with their recreational activities. Some of them were playing snooker, one was playing with a guitar, another was polishing a rifle.

Not a word was spoken, but Bebop could detect more than a hint of tension. He stared upwards at the visible monitors, where he saw footage of the lackeys he had left behind in Klunk's avenue being led away by police.

Seated next to the hub, was a shady figure attired in a brown coat, and pitch black jeans, his hair was half-shaven, almost like a military cut. He was wearing a heavy metallic faceplate covering his features and jaw line. Attached to his right hand was a gauntlet of some kind, sporting two sharp blades.

One of the monitors showed a first-person perspective shot of one of the captured thieves being forced up against the side of a police car, the arresting officers beginning to examine something on the back of his neck.

The masked man steadily moved a finger towards a button on the central console in front of him, and pressed it.

Bebop reacted in horror as the man being questioned jerked back as an electrical current ran through him. The image on the monitor abruptly went blank.

The man in the metal mask, seemingly the master of the house, and Bebop's boss, rose from his seat and turned to greet the only man to return from the mission.

"New York City is part of a land" he said, "A land of plenty. Rich in abundance with whatever you need to survive the harsh conditions of this unkind thing we call existence….why is it, that you return…with nothing?"

"There was hardly anything worth taking from where you sent us" Bebop said in his defense.

"A pity it was YOU that returned…you with so little detail…I am most disappointed in Shark, it was his assignment, he should have informed you of the true reason I sent you to that specific address" the boss replied.

"I told you, there was nothing." Bebop insisted. "We found Trinkets, a watch, a photograph, but nothing really...

"Photograph?" the boss asked.

"Yeah. Some teenager. Probably the old broad's son, but like I said, nothing valuable"

This set off the masked man, who marched down the staircase. The assembled men quickly scattered. Bebop took a few steps back, which angered his boss more, who picked up speed when approaching him.

Bebop, as if realizing his mistake, suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, hoping the obedience would appease his master, but it is not enough to save him from the unimaginable pain and unendurable punishment that was to follow as his master swiftly thrusted one of his gauntlets into Bebop's shoulder.

Bebop let out a blood-curdling scream as his boss rammed him up against the wall, the gauntlet still imbedded where it had struck.

"You are deaf. Even to the voiceless" his master rasped, "We are all children of someone. Some have great stature, some have made minimal impact. In the end, it is the connections that strengthen our bonds with reality, it is unification that provides us with the motivation and the strive to be better than what we are without a past, without a link, and without…hope. A photograph is a vital, visual link to the past, it can affect the memories and aspirations of the present, and shape the future. The future, our most vital of treasures, a priceless piece of insight…"

He twisted the gauntlet ever so slightly.

"Something...you clearly lack" he added.

Slowly, the man removed his gauntlet from Bebop's wounded shoulder. Bebop slumped to the floor. The master then turned to his underlings, and gave a simple order

"Prepare him" he instructed.

Two of his heavies left their positions at the snooker table and walked over to a row of tiny grey canisters, scooping up several, they moved in on Bebop's limp body. and dragged him towards another room nearby. Bebop, realizing his fate was sealed, cried out for help. None would give him any.

"I DIDN'T KNOW MAN! NOBODY TOLD ME! NOBODY TOLD ME!" Bebop pleaded, but his master had already forgotten about him

"Send someone else over to that woman's house tomorrow. We need to have verification" he said.

The heavy playing with the guitar elected to speak

"Should we be as "direct" as last time?" he asked

"No, no it hasn't worked. We've lost two men. Progress softly" the master said.

He returned to the hub of monitors upstairs and replayed the entire fight from beginning to end, watching Shark, Bebop, their friend all fall to a most strange manner of creature.

"We must find out all we can about this freak" the master added.

Another man, working at a laptop nearby, suddenly called out to his boss

"Saki, I could have some of your time please" he said.

Saki walked over to him. The man showed off a brief tout from April O'Neil from her car, on the Channel6 blog spot.

"Hey 5'OClock Shadows, it's April O'Neil with a quick 5:59 "literal last minute" update. Want to know what puts the method in the "Magic Monday" madness? Find out at the top of the hour tomorrow"

"What do you reckon?" the man with the laptop asked.

"No publicity is good publicity where we're concerned. Silence her, then search the site yourselves, remove any evidence you can find" Saki ordered.

"But this could work in our favor" the man replied, "Your enemies will be exposed, we won't have to..."

Saki cut him off.

"No my friend, the time and place must be of our design and nothing, noone, must disrupt my pattern" he said.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

A few hours later, as day gave way to night, April arrived at the Eastman Leisure Center for her date, her vehicle entering an already crammed car park full of motorcycles.

The outside of the center was packed with all kinds of people, some very regular, and some extremist hells angel types, which went a long way to explaining why there were so many motorcycles.

There were small block parties taking place in the car park, with stereos playing aggressive music at full volume.

April got out of her car and elected to locate Casey via her phone. She calmly placed one hand on her right ear to try and block out the noise made by the music.

"Casey?" she said, "I'm here, I'll be waiting at the food court"

April entered the leisure center and made her way over to the food court. She sat down and waited.

Ten minutes passed, followed by twenty. She looked at her watch, a look of outright boredom etched on her face.

Eventually, she spotted Casey making his way over to her through the teaming sea of shoppers. April waved to him to signal her location. Casey waved back and headed to where she was sitting.

As he sat down beside her, April noticed a rather distracting plaster wrapped around his nose.

"Hey babe, how's the daily grind?" Casey asked.

"You poor baby" she said, "What happened?"

"Your day probably wasn't quite as rough as that rink was" Casey said, "I slipped while cleaning"

"Hey, we agreed. No pity" he said.

April smiled and nodded. "Gotcha" she said, "...I had planned to do some skating but I think you've probably had your fill of that in a very "close and persona;" way, so we'll skip right ahead to the remaining pleasantries of the evening. Got anything in mind with what you've earned today?"

"Not much. Gabrielle took off with the cash" Casey explained.

April was alight with frustration. "You're kidding" she snapped.

"Working through blood, sweat, and tears doesn't amount to much when there's someone on the opposite end going through daily rounds of the same thing" Casey remarked.

"Casey, you need to be more flexible than this" April advised, "You've got to put something aside for yourself, don't let her and her little…accident, run you into…"

Casey gave April a distraught, sheepish look. April realized what she had just said.

"Oh my god. Casey, I'm sorry, I'm such a heartless bitch" she said. Casey motioned for her to calm down

"Oh don't blame yourself, it's the truth isn't it? My seven and a half month mistake and it's tearing into our five month fling at a rate I can't measure" Casey replied.

"You don't have to have a big check book to impress me Casey. The fact you're holding onto that kid rather than let it slip out of your life is a commendable thing. A lot of people like that would just turn and run" April said.

"Yeah well time will tell who does the running where this is concerned" Casey replied.

He collected himself, placing both hands on his weary face, breathed deeply, and put both hands down again. April opted to change the subject manner of the conversation.

"So, no money, no food, that seemingly means no night. What's left for us?" she asked.

"What every reporter gets up in the morning for" Casey said, "The next chapter of the story always takes us to the great outdoors".

The two got up and left the court, and eventually made their way out of the building . As they left, the two were spotted by a shady man in black glasses, sporting a spiked hairdo. He swiftly moved away and headed towards a small group of people amassed near a black land rover.

"Want to go cruising down the motorway?" Casey asked.

"Sure, my car's just over here" April said, and prepared to go right. Casey motioned for her to follow him somewhere north of where her car was situated.

"Forget that jalopy for a while" Casey said, "Why go smooth when you can get rough?"

He lead her to the back of the center, where he unveiled a spiffy looking motorcycle sandwiched in between two cars. Its appearance conveyed the message it had seen better days, and there was still traces of dust laying on the tattered seat.

"Found it abandoned outside my local garage. Just got it fine tuned yesterday" Casey explained, beaming with pride. April, however, couldn't help but be perfectly honest with him.

"It _looks_ like crap." she observed, "...But I'm assuming it can go?"

"Like a dream" Casey said.

"If it doesn't kill me in the middle of one, I'm good to go" April replied, and kissed Casey on the lips. The two remained locked in a blissful embrace for several seconds, briefly ignorant of the world around them...until a raspy voice swiftly cut through the moment

"Casey Jones?" the voice said

Casey and April reluctantly ended their make out session to answer the call.

"Yeah, yeah, what is...it" Casey said, trailing off as he addressed the source of the call.

Standing before the two was the man with the spiked hair, accompanying him was man who was a spitting image for Hugh Jackman, casually gnawing away at a tooth pick. Another man, a wild looking blonde chewing bubblegum...and the third man, known all too well to Casey, grinned, his eyes full of wicked intent.

It was Rocksteady.

"Oh shit" Casey said

"No toys this time Jones" Rocksteady said, and eyed up April

"This is the girl?" he said.

"Yeah, that's her. April O'Neil" replied the man with the spiked hair.

Casey clutched April's hand tightly.

"Look, don't hurt her ok? your beef's with me…" he said

"Sign off time Ms. O'Neil" the blonde hissed.

"Yeah, well have you heard the latest? It's BREAKING" April said, and swiftly kicked the blonde in the stomach, she followed that up with a fierce right hook.

Casey grabbed her and the two jumped on board the motorcycle. Casey turned the key in the ignition and the vintage looking machine roared into life.

Rocksteady aggressively pushed the remainder of his small entourage out of the way as he scrambled across the car park, heading towards the black land rover, his flunkies followed him, clambered into the rover, and sped off after Casey and April as they made it onto the highway.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Casey's motorcycle tore through the traffic. cutting through small lanes opened between moving vehicles, all in a desperate bid to put distance between them and their pursuers.

April was less than impressed with Casey's tactics.

"You're a maniac" she cried out

"You're just now coming to that conclusion?" Casey remarked.

"What did you mean by "their beef was with you?" anyway?" April asked

"Long story. You'll kill once I tell it. Not a good plan since I'm driving" Casey commented

"So what IS the plan?" April said

"To quote a famous song, _Run to the hills_. Hold on" Casey said, and put the pedal to the metal, gaining more momentum. The bike headed out of the busy lane and turned left. The pursuing Rover carelessly veered in the same direction, bumping and denting several cars.

The bike headed to a portion of the road that led outside of the city and up a road connecting to a beautiful green hillside, the kind that young couples journey to.

To gaze. To think.

To love.

Atop the hill, Casey and April disembarked from the motorcycle and stared down the hillside, looking out towards the motorway. He spotted the rover in the distance, steadily catching up.

Casey suddenly jumped back on the motorcycle, much to April's surprise

"They're after me, so I have to keep them glued to the motorway. Just lie low here" he instructed

"Are you crazy? What if you get caught?" a concerned April asked.

"I'll bleed knowing your blood isn't spilled ok?" Casey said, kissing April on the forehead

"I'll be back for you, I swear" he said, and revved up the motorcycle. He was soon careering down the hill, heading back towards the motorway.

In the back of the pursuing rover, Rocksteady held up a pair of binoculars. He had seen what the two were up to.

"They're splitting up. She's all ours" he said. His friends nodded silently to one another. The Rover stopped near the hillside to let some of them out, before taking off after Casey, maintaining the illusion that they had been fooled by his ploy.

April, looking out at the hillside, tried to maintain some eye contact with Casey as his image began to shrink from her sight. Suddenly, her attention became fixated on the entourage of thugs she spotted heading up the hill.

Her heart sank. Casey's sacrifice had been for nothing.

"Shit!" she yelled, and began looking in various directions, hoping to find a hiding place. She spotted a large tree with a few shrubs of greenery. She bolted for it, but tripped up on her feet. She quickly got up, still in a frantic mood. She ducked behind the tree.

She collected herself and peeked out at the road leading directly to the motorway, her only means of escape, and saw Rocksteady and his men make their way to the top.

She ducked behind the tree again, realizing her escape route had been cut off.

Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched from atop the very tree, perched high above the branches. She couldn't see who was spying on her.

The observers began to whisper to one another.

"She's gorgeous" said another

"Cut it out Michelangelo" a third voice said

"C'mon Donatello, Leonardo told us to embrace tranquil surroundings" Michelangelo said in his defense

"Trust me, we're all better off without your definition of "embracing" Donatello remarked

"Oh, _sensitive _are we?" Michelangelo said.

The commotion they were making was all too much, and April, sharp in hearing, picked up on the voices. She looked upwards.

"W...who's there?" she said

"She can hear us. Everyone pipe down" said a fourth voice.

"Yo…you don't scare me. You hear me?" April said, "You wanna play games? Step up, 'cause I am one hell of a Chess Master!"

"Really? My sensitive friend here is a TOTAL pro at Chess" Michelangelo replied

"For god's sake Mike, don't react to her" the fourth voice sharply instructed

Rocksteady and his men began to close in on the tree that concealed April. Before long, they had found her

"Looking to the heavens won't save you Ms. O'Neil. Welcome to hell" Rocksteady uttered.

"Look, let's just calm down here" April said, "You want Casey don't you?"

"Jones thinks too highly of himself. You are our target tonight" Rocksteady replied, his heavies produced knives from their pockets and circled around her.

"Oh god" April said, feeling helpless.

The observers hidden inside the tree debated on what to do as they watched this unfold

"Leonardo, they're armed, we gotta move in" one voice whispered

"We stick to the shadows Raphael. That's what we are" Leonardo replied

"Yeah, well, with these sort of odds 'least likely to happen in the morning and afternoon, give me broad daylight any day" Raphael remarked

"With an emphasis on "broad"" said Michelangelo in reference to April.

"You shut up" Raphael replied

The blonde thug picked up on the voices

"Hey, someone is up there man" he said

"Stay focused" Rocksteady instructed.

"I'm not going down without a fight" April said. The heavies laughed in unison and moved in.

April backed as far against the tree as possible, looking for an opening, even a chance to take down one of her attackers, to grab one of their weapons and gain some even grounds, but all of her attempts to map out such a strategy narrowed as the circle of hoods converged.

Cornered and uncertain of how to keep herself safe, April closed her eyes and prepared for pain.

High up in the tree, Raphael could stand it no longer

"Leo" he cried out.

There was a pause, and finally, a response.

"Do it" Leonardo uttered.

With the "ok" given to them, the four observers descended from the trees and surrounded the heavies and stood in front of April. She opened her eyes, seeing only their backs...or rather, their shells.

They were Turtles. Each sporting a different color coded bandana, one was red, one blue, one purple, and one orange.

The leader, identified by Raphael as Leonardo, unsheathed a sword from the back of his shell, and pointed it at the hoodlums.

"Leave in peace" he advised.

"Do we HAVE to give them fair warning in advance?" Raphael asked.

"Move aside whatever you are. We have business with this woman" Rocksteady ordered.

"Then you will not leave?" Leonardo asked.

"We leave when she dies. We will kill you too if the need arises" Rocksteady replied.

"Then we will fight" Leonardo said.

Raphael grinned and produced a pair of sais, as he made his move, Leonardo briefly held him back

"Remember...we fight them with honor" Leonardo cautioned. Raphael sulked a little at this.

Michelangelo produced his nun-chucks, and Donatello unveiled a Bo Staff. All four creatures stood prepared, armed with their weapons.

"Shit man, look at those weapons, we got nothing on this" the blonde male commented. Rocksteady remained unimpressed , and focused on the mission

"We finish our job. Take them apart, then do the same to the woman" he said.

The hoods obeyed.

The battle was on.

The hillside played host to a huge four-on-four war. Raphael smacked the man with the spiked haircut in the head with a fierce roundhouse kick, the man threw his knife around, but Raphael ducked every slash, fluent like the wind, he wrapped his sais around the man's knife, scooped it up into the air with them and crudely elbowed his foe in the stomach. and followed up with another kick.

Donatello clashed with the blonde, who tried a few kicks of his own, but the attacks were deflected by the Turtle's use of the staff. The blonde lunged at the Turtle with his own knife, which was more the kind one might find in a _Crocodile Dundee_ movie. Donatello again managed to score several hits on the arrogant adversary, but unlike Raphael and Michelangelo, Donatello was a little slower in getting started on the offense, almost as fighting was not his first or second nature. This allowed his foe to avoid some of the strikes and closed in on him, grabbed his right arm and plunged the knife deep into it. Donatello let out a yell, which alerted Raphael.

"Donatello!" Raphael screamed.

Overtaken by the pain, Donatello slumped down, the blonde male let out a cackle of triumph and prepared to bring the knife down on the creature's head, but Raphael came to the rescue, delivering a spear tackle. Both fell to the ground, Raphael pounded the thug with his fists in a fit of rage.

Leonardo did battle with another of the goons, slicing open the thug's belt buckle with his sword, causing his pants to fall down. Leonardo clenched his right hand, forming a rock-hard fist and socked the thug in the face, the thug tripped over his pants attempting to get up. Just as he managed to maintain balance, Leonardo kicked him back down.

With three of his men humiliated and faring badly against these mysterious beings. Rocksteady tried to salvage the situation and kill April.

April had tried to take advantage of the confusion and flee back down the road connected to the hillside, but as she tried to leave, she had gotten caught up in a struggle between Michelangelo and one of the heavies. The two foes had tussled, with Michelangelo successfully throwing the heavy over his feet, but in doing so he had rolled straight under April's feet, which brought her crashing down on to him.

April tried to get her bearings, but when she opened her eyes, she made direct eye contact with her rescuer.

A giant Turtle.

An impossibility made real.

Michelangelo smiled at her.

April screamed. Michelangelo joined in, both of them simultaneously freaked out by the other. April sprung upwards and backed away, and in doing so, she bumped into Rocksteady

"We finish this" he said, grabbing April by her hair. Michelangelo saw red at this and charged Rocksteady

"Let her go" he yelled, ramming into the muscular man. Rocksteady dropped April, who staggered forward and crashed head-first into the tree.

"Mike you clutz" Raphael yelled, having witnessed everything

"Oops" Michelangelo said

The wounded Donatello collected his thoughts and asked Leonardo for the next phase of their strategy, as the final obstacle left standing, Rocksteady, approached them.

"Fastball excel" Leonardo said, placing his sword back behind his shell.

"Well count me out. I'm busted" Donatello replied.

Raphael grinned, and grabbed Michelangelo

Hey Leo, I got the perfect candidate" he said, and spun Michelangelo around at breakneck speed. With great strength, he tossed him towards Rocksteady. Leonardo took a running jump, and, with Michelangelo still in mid-flight, jumped on top of his shell, and propelled himself high above Rocksteady's head. As Michelangelo crashed into Rocksteady's stomach, Leonardo brought his hands together and brought both crashing down on Rocksteady's skull.

Touching back down,, Leonardo addressed the weakened, wounded goons the Turtles had defeated. They stumbled over to Rocksteady's limp body and struggled to pick him up.

"We are...done" Leonardo said.

The thugs silently complied and carried Rocksteady down the path, one of them calling the rover to come and pick them up.

Raphael examined Donatello's wound, pulling the knife out of his shoulder.

"He's really hurting" he said.

Michelangelo looked back at April. who was beginning to regain consciousness.

"Never mind him, she's hurt" he said

Leonardo spotted something in the distance heading towards them. Someone on a motorcycle.

"Let's go" he ordered

"Wait" the weary and wounded Donatello said, bending over to take a closer look at April, "I know that woman, it's April O'Neil"

As he examined her, he noticed her contact card had fallen out of her pocket.

"Don, let's go. You know the rules. We mustn't get too involved" Leonardo instructed.

"But" Donatello began

"DON!" Leonardo yelled, "We've done what we can, we go back to where we belong. We are shadows."

Leonardo and the remaining Turtles soon slipped back into the pitch black night. As they did so, Donatello picked up April's card and joined them, still nursing his injured shoulder.

Casey soon pulled up on his motorcycle. He had given his pursuers the slip long ago, but his conscience had eaten away at him, making him feel bad for leaving behind April. and he had returned to collect her.

As he got off the bike, he spotted April lying on the ground and immediately reacted, fearing the worst had come to pass. He ran over to her, picked her up in his arms and began to shake her.

"Babe, c'mon, wake up" he said

April's eyes snapped open

"That's it…that's it babe" Casey said, relief coming over him, ""Back to the land of the living you come. Now, try and talk, get back in the swing. Talk to me"

"T...Turtles" April said.

Casey was dumbstruck.

"Ok, I've heard of counting sheep but this is ridiculous"

April came to her senses, slightly unnerved, a combination of anxiety and enthusiasm

"...Giant, my god, Casey, there were…giant Turtles" April said in a rambling tone "Well, ok , they were about the same size as you and me, but they were all over the place. Casey they saved me."

"Something seemed to scare those bums off. Wonder if it was a bunch of homeless war vets, you get them a lot in these places…" Casey said, trying to piece together what happened.

I'm not joking Casey, there were GIANT TURTLES IN THE PARK" April insisted.

"…Have to admit, it's less forced a meme than Alligators in the Sewer…" Casey replied.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

As the land rover drove back into the city, one of the thugs, the blonde, tended to Rocksteady. As he did so, his phone went off.

Before answering it, he paused and quietly reached for the back of his neck, feeling a rough object embedded in it. Instantly, he realized who was calling.

"Shit" he said.

Despite his reservations, he answered the call. Sure enough, it was Saki, who had been monitoring their battle on his array of monitors, the first-person P.O.V camera feed having been supplied to him by the miniature cameras installed in the devices on the necks of the hoods.

"You have failed me" Saki said.

"The girl had help" said the henchman, "Four...things. They jumped us. Rockstready's in a bad way, we all are"

Seated at his control console, Saki flicked the buttons on the central console, and caused the imbedded cameras to short-circuit. On the monitors, he watched as his henchmen yelled in pain, tearing the devices off as they began to sparkle and ignite. The screens went blank.

Saki played back the visual record of the battle, which he had recorded from the live feed, observing Michelangelo charging Rocksteady. Pausing the screen and enhancing the image, he recognized the creature.

"That freak. Again" he said

He analyzed the remainder of the fight and utilized the same method of close-up enhancement and infra-red scan, casting aside the veil of night to gain a greater perspective of his enemies.

"What are they?" he said to himself, his anger growing, "Why do they interfere? Where did they come from? Too many questions..."

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Near the hillside where the battle took place, was a small tunnel that led to the sewer network beneath the city streets, there the four Turtles could be found, making their way through the hub and through the murky sewage water. Some were ecstatic about the battle, and one was still feeling the effects of it.

"I'm sorry I let you guys down" Donatello said as he nursed his wounded shoulder.

"It would help if you weren't so obsessed with toying with things we ought to have no business with" Leonardo lectured. Raphael shoved him

"Back off Leo" he said

"You're in enough trouble Raphael" Leonardo snapped, "You went out and found that….that TOY. you're the reason Donatello's missed our practice sessions for three straight days while he's researched it"

"So I can't go out for a little nightly bender now and then?" Raphael asked

"We shouldn't be acting like them, don't you get it?" Leonardo said.

"I "get" more of what's going on in the real world than you do locked away in your little renascence fantasies Leo. Life isn't always what you want, and nobody is the same." Raphael replied.

"All I want is what's best for us. We are shadows. Nothing more. We don't belong out there" Leonardo insisted.

"Yeah, well I feel like we ought to…and we're being held back by high and mighties like you who're afraid of the big bad world crashing down on us. Let the walls come tumbling down I say" Raphael responded.

There was a tense silence as the Turtles walked down the tunnel, until Michelangelo chimed in with his trademark childishness)

"So on a scale of one-one hundred, how hot WAS that chick?" he said.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Seven hours later, April had managed to settle down and mentally recover from the ordeal of the night before and, with a fresh day in front of her, chose to pursue her story, which awaited her over the bridge. As she drove through town, she elected to call Irma and talk to her about what she had experienced.

At her own apartment building, Irma was busy frying an omelet, talking to April as she did so

"Tall. Dark. Mysterious. I'm going with those descriptions only. Forget the rest" she said

"So you don't believe me?" April replied

"I'm trying to be real for you. You can't be" Irma answered.

"Why not?" April said.

"Because you've been through a traumatic experience. Your mind is all a jumble" Irma replied

"I did not imagine this. Four Turtles came pouring out of the tree above me. One of them got hurt trying to protect me. It was very real"

Irma sighed, and flipped over the omelet she was preparing.

"…Projecting your own pain onto imaginary people now?" she said, "Oh April. You remind me of a head-case I once dated. He couldn't figure out what his girlfriends found dislikeable about him so he imagined that all these items he had misplaced over the years had somehow been stolen by them, his psychiatrist labeled him as "externally possessive", trying to hold onto the memories of both the item and the girlfriend, the memory and the mystery of what they found so unlikeable. That's what you're doing, you're possessive of both the painful memory and the mystery behind the memory. You're romancing it all. Those strangers were probably a gang in their own right and your attackers stood on their turf."

"My memory is quite sharp, and don't say it was a hallucination because I hit my head after I bumped into one of them. I saw them Irma. With my own two eyes. They. Were. Turtles." April insisted.

"Were you slow?" Irma asked

"What?" April replied.

"How fast did they fight? Maybe you're associating them metaphorically with Turtles, if they were slow and slurry they may have just been taking drugs" Irma theorized.

April's frustrations were building. She hated such certainty on her part being questioned.

"Just...just stop Irma. Ok? This...I can't get my head around a lot of things right now…the attack, the rescue…all I know was none of it was a blur, it was an EVENT, and I wish somebody had been there to verify it. Casey took his time coming back"

"How is Mr. Shining Armor" Irma asked

"I killed him" April said, sarcastically

"Finally" Irma replied, joining in on the snark.

"Seriously though, the whole experience convinced him to level with me. He said they were after him because he got involved in one of those "light club" fights" she said.

"Light club?" Irma asked, confused.

"Basically the goons who run the Leisure Center stage human cockfights in the place in the afternoon rather than at night. Apparently the box office gate is bigger that way. He kept his fights hush-hush from me the whole time, can you believe it?

"What did I tell you, April? The guy is bad news" Irma cautioned, "He says "yes" to anything and anyone, just look at Gabrielle, in three months times you'll be adrift"

"ADRIFT?" April said in a sharpened tone.

"Uh-huh. A big sexy roommate, a living explanation for little baby Jones on why his or her two parents don't share the same room. No wonder you dreamt up four sailors" Irma said

"Four Turtles" April said, correcting her

"Yeah, but I'm sticking with sailors. Fits better with the "adrift" analogy" Irma replied.

"I am not projecting my boyfriend's upcoming parentage with my traumatic experience. I am telling you the truth…and…" April began, but underestimated her anxiety levels building up, she had still not quite recovered from the night and this conversation was destabilizing her slightly, which was the last thing she needed when setting about covering a major story development. She had to get it together, for her viewers, and for herself.

She composed herself and resigned herself to the fact Irma was one stubborn woman who's mind would not be changed so readily.

"You know what? Fine. Don't believe me. Play psycho psychiatrist all day long, I'll prove I'm right"

"Yeah, well, until then…stay on dry land sailor" Irma said

April rolled her eyes and turned off the phone.

"Adrift. What an insane bitch" April remarked, and sped off down the road leading to the bridge that would take across the city and towards _The Portal_


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Back the suburban neighborhood frequented by Michelangelo, a black van drove up to Mrs. Ester's house, which had been ransacked a day or so earlier by Bebop and his friends. A very well kept-together man in a white shirt and red tie emerged from the van, and walked over to the building's front door. He knocked twice.

After a few moments of waiting, the door opened and Mrs. Ester emerged.

"June Ester?" the man asked

"Yes" June replied.

"My name is Serling with the "Darius Anders' Missing Numbers" foundation" the man responded, introducing himself and extending his hand. June anxiously shook it.

" We were wondering if you would like to donate anything to a 'lost and found' mural we're putting together" Serling continued, "We're hoping that it will inspire people who have come into contact with any missing persons featured on the mural to step forward and give us the information necessary to track them down and hopefully reunite them with their loved ones. You wouldn't happen to have something, someone, you can share with us would you?"

June hesitated for a bit, but sensed sincerity in the man's tone.

"…I…I…yes. Yes I do. Just a moment please" she said, and walked back to her living room, which was no longer a very kept together abode following the burglary. Ester reached for one of the few drawers that hadn't been titled over by the thieves and took out her box of valuables, which had been recovered from the burglars.

She reached through it and found the photograph of a handsome teenaged boy with a crew cut, attired in military garb.

June briefly closed her eyes and held the photo close to her, before meekly walking back through the apartment building back to handed the photo over to him.

"Please...if anyone contacts you.." she began, Serling cut her off, knowing what she meant

"Have no worries" he said, "We're extremely thorough. We'll keep in touch" he assured her

"Good luck, and thank you" June said.

Serling bid Ester farewell and walked away. As soon as June went back into her apartment and out of visual sight, Serling examined the phone very carefully, before contacting his boss by phone.

An altogether different person than the one he had lied to Ester about.

"Saki? Serling. We have confirmation" he announced.

"Good, I'll let him know" Saki answered from a wild and darkly lit room in his warehouse lair which was ripe with activity. He causally walked through a menagerie of caged birds, monkeys, dogs, and warthogs, all making unending noise, and approached a hulking, webbed figure shackled to a chair, making a series of rasping sounds.

Saki put the phone down, and placed one hand gently on the furry shoulders of the creature.

"We've found her" he said.

The creature rattled the chair it was seated on, ecstatic.

Saki smiled.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

At the sight of The Portal, now a huge wreck being cleared by a highly skilled maintenance crew, April was talking with the chief of operations, Lawson, about the discovery he had made.

"It started off like any regular clean-up job. Just as we were working on removing the remnants of the roofing, we found some...thing."

"Something?" April asked

"Some. Thing " Lawson replied, putting the emphasis on "thing".

He guided her to a large lorry and searched through the debris loaded onto the back draped in a white sheet. He swiftly produced what appeared to be a small, near-featureless robotic contraption. Tiny arms, larger legs, its sole facial features were a large jaw comprised of sharp dagger-like teeth.

Lawson passed it over to April, who turned it over and examined it. She felt it out, noting its density.

"Right, lunch break's almost over. Take your scoop and scram" Lawson said. April nodded, took out her wallet, and took out a large roll of dollars. An obvious pay-off, she handed it to Lawson.

"Thanks. I promise not the blow the whistle on you as a source" she said, and put the robot in her bag and ran back to her car. Lawson bid her farewell as the car pulled out of the drive way and headed down the road. Then, just as swiftly, he took out his phone and called someone else.

"…This is Lawson. Yeah. She took It. Look…I like her alright, she's just a kid, don't…just don't try and scare her, alright?" he said.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

In the sewers beneath the city, inside a compact but lively makeshift homestead, the four high-skilled Turtles were engaged in a multitude of different activities. Michelangelo was riding his skateboard across a custom ramp, Donatello was quietly seated at the spring-ridden tattered couch staring intently at an I-tablet.

The remaining two, Leonardo and Raphael, were locked in a heated training session, Leonardo was deflecting several attacks by Raphael, frequently critiquing him for his apparent slowness.

"Faster Raphael" Leonardo instructed. Raphael did his best to oblige him, throwing his feet forwards, wildly throwing his sais in every direction Leonardo went to, hoping to slightly prod him, which, according to the rules of the session, would make him the victor, but Leonardo continued to put up a fight, countering Raphael's erratic strategy, and again urging him to pick up speed.

"You're getting the most of me" Raphael complained.

"I want all. Or nothing" Leonardo replied.

Raphael let out a scream of rage and poured all of his aggression into a final strike, but in doing so, opened himself up for a hit. Leonardo twisted his body around and, almost as quick and as damaging as a tornado, he deflected one of Raphael's sais with one of his blade and harmlessly prodded Raphael in the stomach. Raphael threw his sais down, forfeiting the battle.

"Game. Set" Leonardo said

"Match?" Raphael said, trying to finish the sentence for him.

"You weren't one" Leonardo said.

This set Raphael off.

"I don't need to prove anything to you" he said, "I can hold it together in the kind of combat that counts, just turn me loose up top and you'll see what kind of damage I can do"

"We're not out to 'cause damage'" Leonardo replied

"Then what are we doing Leo?" Raphael responded. "While we're here playing 'tag'. people are getting hurt up there. Every time I walk the streets I see muggings, assault, and worse…hell look at what we prevented last night.

"That was meant to be a meditative retreat and it escalated into something else. We are not heroes, we are students" Leonardo replied

"Wake up already Leo...SCHOOL. IS. OUT" Raphael yelled.

A sharp voice suddenly rang out from a dark tunnel up ahead

"Raphael! Come here at once"

Leonardo folded his arms and shook his head.

"…Never say that when the TEACHER is present" he remarked.

Raphael gave Leonardo a disapproving stare and headed towards the entranceway and towards the source of the voice. Leonardo rolled his eyes and walked over to Michelangelo.

"Mike? You and Donny are up next" he said.

"In a sec Leo" Donatello said as he looked at the I-tablet, constantly refreshing his browser trying to get the Channel 6 blog spot homepage up, anxiously awaiting an update from the woman they had rescued the previous night.

Michelangelo ceased his skateboarding, leapt off the ramp and crashed down on the couch, putting his feet up while hanging upside down. Donatello ignored the clownish showmanship.

Finally, his refreshes hit pay dirt, and a new update appeared on the site.

"This is it guys" he yelled.

"Donny boy, finally looking up girls are we?" Michelangelo joked

"Not just any girl Mike" Donatello replied

Michelangelo took a peek, and got just as excited as he recognized April.

"Sweet" he said

Leonardo wasn't too thrilled.

"I knew we shouldn't have stumbled on that i-tablet...maintenance crews down here should have them on some kind of chain-link" he whispered to himself.

Donatello clicked 'PLAY' on the video link, and before long April's report, which appeared to be coming from a derelict alleyway, flared into life.

"Hey Five O'Clock Shadows, this is April O'Neil with the promised exclusive you've been waiting for. Months away from "Magic Monday", Channel 6 can _exclusively _reveal the secrets of it's inevitable success. What causes the destruction of these proud historical relics without explosives? Suffice to say…"

She produced the robot and put in on display.

"...It's because of THESE pearly whites" she finished.

Michelangelo seemed more interested in April than what she has in her hand, but Donatello reacted differently to the logo that could been on the right side of the robot, which was an imprint of the human eye retina.

"Hold everything" Donatello said, and paused the video, which annoyed Michelangelo. Donatello got up from the couch, taking the i-tablet with him, "I gotta go check something" he said, and raced through another tunnel leading out of the main chamber.

Leonardo sighed and pulled his blades out

"Guess I've got double duty today. Ok Mike, you're up. You and me. Come on."

Michelangelo put his hands gently on his face.

"I do not wanna talk about fight club" he remarked.

Donatello entered a chamber containing a small workshop. Old, half-dissected television sets and loose light bulbs were everywhere. Various tools such as hammers, spanners, and a blowtorch were also scattered across the floor.

Donatello made his way over to a large wooden table. There, lying still and lifeless, were the remains of the robot Raphael had done battle with several nights ago. Donatello checked April's video again before examining the robot, searching the remnants of its main processing unit, finally stumbling on a logo which matched the one on the smaller robot in the report.

"Now we've got you" Donatello said


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

In her car, April took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. Her hard work had paid off with such apparent ease. Now that the missing edge pieces of the picture puzzle were slotting into place, people would start talking.

She refreshed her laptop's web browser to view how many visits her video had gotten, but when she did so, she found the Channel 6 blog spot had been removed from the servers.

"What? Where'd it go?" she said aloud in great alarm.

Her phone suddenly went off.

With a hefty groan, she answered it, "Yeah" she said

"April listen..don't come home" cautioned Casey's voice, which was wrought with concern.

"Casey? Something wrong?" April asked.

At April's home, Casey was seated half-way up a staircase. He was tense.

"Just...don't come home ok? They're waiting for you"

Another male's hand delicately removed the phone from Casey's grip and placed it to his own ear.

"It'd be wise to heed only my advise in this matter Ms. O'Neil" the stranger calmly instructed.

"Who is this? Did you have something to do with what happened to my story?" April asked.

Instantaneously, she felt like hitting herself. Casey could be in mortal danger, and she was too selfishly worked up with what just happened moments earlier.

"Ms. O'Neil, so long as you persist, you will find things happening to almost any story you cover. Until you call off your investigation, Channel 6 will remain dormant" the man replied

April, while relieved that the subject matter seemed to be about her story after all and nothing related to the attack in the park, was left incredibly cheesed off by the ultimatum given to her

"Is that a threat?" she asked

"It's a promise. " the man said, "Now, we would like you to return home and discuss your future "exclusives". Failure to comply will result in your boyfriend being brought in on charges of willful participation in illegal human cockfights"

"You wouldn't dare!" April sharply spoke.

The man checked his watch.

"Care to test the clock on that one? You have twenty-four hours. Starting now"

He put the phone down.

April threw her phone away and pressed her head against the wheel of her car, distressed and incensed.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Meanwhile, inside Saki's warehouse headquarters, the man with little patience and no mercy approached one of his accomplices hard at work at the hub of computers

"Status Conduit" Saki asked.

"I was able to block the website's update from showing up on most worldwide regions, though some areas slipped through the cracks" Conduit explained, "Seems it bought the FBI enough time. All trace of the Channel 6 blog online has been removed. This is fantastic news. We didn't have to kill her after all"

"Do you have her home address?" Saki inquired. Conduit's face sank.

"Saki...didn't you hear me? Her website's down, her story's being investigated by the feds, we don't need to play our hand where she's concerned"

"She is a journalist." Saki bellowed, "More than that, her track record is that of a truth-seeker, fascinated with cover ups and grand conspiracy. This merely confirms her worst fears, and that will push her further where she shouldn't tread. She will have followers. Small in number, but they will be…very vocal. They will need a target. Let it be our enemies. Give me the address"

"Saki, we don't..." Conduit began, trying to appeal to what rationality his boss had, only to be grabbed tightly by the throat for his trouble.

"The Address. Give it to me now, 'least you be...prepared" he ordered

Knowing all too well what that meant, Conduit quickly bent to Saki's will.

"Ok, ok" he said, barely capable of uttering a reply with the grip on his throat so firm. His mumbled attempts were, fortunately, coherent enough for Saki's ears and he let go of his aide.

"I...I traced her details when she posted her video, i was saving it in case you showed mercy" he said, catching his breath. He presented Saki with a databank profile of April, displaying her phone number and home address.

"Send Rocksteady" Saki ordered.

"Saki, what if those...things try and intervene again?" Conduit asked

"Fine, give him Bebop too., I want nothing left of them" Saki replied

"Bebop hasn't been reacting too well to the mutagen" Conduit revealed, "Nothing major, but he probably won't settle until tomorrow"

"Fine. We'll wait." Saki said, a sharp sting in his tone of voice.

He had a very strict timetable to adhere to.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

It took April five of the twenty-four hours allocated to her to come home. As she entered the house, she found it had been ransacked by a group of officious looking men.

As she explored every room, she found tables had been turned over, and drawers and cabinets had been opened, their contents spilled on to the floor. Everything was a mess.

She yelled at the men causing such unkemptness, but they refused to respond.

Casey was in the living area, sitting on the rim of a tilted-over sofa with a sheepish, complacent look on his face. All of his trademark strength and bravado had seemingly melted away.

"What the hell is this?" April said.

"April...they had authority" Casey explained

"And that's why you didn't stop them?" an April irritated yelled

"Look, I'm in enough shit" Casey said, "You think assaulting a federal officer is going to clean anything up?"

"Federal?" April asked.

"I guess that's my cue" said a voice from behind her. April turned around.

Greeting her was a tall figure, his voice indicated it was the man who had talked to April over the phone some hours earlier, dressed entirely in black with a white shirt and red tie. He had a pencil-like jaw, and his eyes were masked by a pair of sunglasses, giving him an aura of distance and making him difficult to approach.

"Agent Bishop. F.B.I" he said, introducing himself, "I do apologize for the mess Ms. O'Neil, we were taking precautions" he explained.

"Precautions?" April said, her irritation at peak levels, "Listen you horse's ass..."

Casey cautioned for her to calm down.

"They didn't find anything honey, don't worry" he assured her

"Not yet" the man said, and turned to one of his colleagues as he entered the room

"Check her car" he instructed.

"Yes sir" his colleague replied

Bishop then turned to April and extended his hand.

"Give him the keys" he said, "Or Mr. Jones comes with us"

April reluctantly handed over the keys to Bishop he walked out of the front door.

"F.B.I: 'Frightened Bastards Incorporated' to the average truth seeker" April remarked.

This latest bit of snark was quick to set Bishop off.

"And just what _is_ the truth to you Ms. O'Neil?" he asked, his temper rising, "The trigger to a much-needed revolution? Or a promising start to a life of mass media privileges? People like you are all the same, you use truth as a catapult, to launch yourselves into the stratosphere with no consideration for what goes on to keep the concerns of this city, the fears of this country, at rest and allow life as we all know it to go by just a little more peacefully"

"Your Big Brother attitude doesn't scare me" April replied

"I was told specifically _not _to scare you Ms. O'Neil, and I think I'll keep to that promise" Bishop replied

He glanced over at Casey.

"You I _will_ scare" he said, "Casey Jones. twenty-eight. High School drop-out. Went off the grid for four months before resurfacing in Detroit engaged in vigilante operations"

"Hey, some guys were messing up my aunt's neighborhood, the cops were doing nothi…" Casey began, but Bishop cut him off

"Not finished" he said, and continued rattling off what he knew. "…Police in the area didn't approve but they took a strong shine to you 'cause you gave them a few weeks off dealing with the scum it was their job to take out, so despite their better judgment they booked you for a mere two week stretch in jail in exchange for an immediate cease-and-desist upon release. Desist you did, but you couldn't quite quit the knack to make a difference, you got more than desperate for release, you got drunk ,started bar brawls with as many unsavory souls as you could meet thinking noone was watching, but I assure you Mr. Jones, you were watched."

April watched Casey melt as the lecture continued. This was bringing up a lot of bad memories for him.

You Impressed a girl around the same time, a Ms. Gabrielle Logan" Bishop continued, "A few drinks later, you two were flying, got serious, but for you and your attitudes, a month was an eternity too long. You ended things with her, but left your mark in more ways than one. She comes back a month later scarred with that mark, the scar's gotten pretty big since then…in a few more months, it's clawing it's way out of that body, and it'll be wondering just what kind of man etched it's form into flesh?

Having finished, Bishop turned back to April.

"…Your next exclusive is to tell the enlightening story of how a punk like this was able to walk the straight and narrow long enough to see his legacy come into the light…failure to keep your eyes solely on HIM and NOTHING ELSE will lead your man directly into the darkness on the charges I brought up earlier as well as a hell lot more."

Bishop's fellow agent walked back into the house, handing his colleague the robot April had taken from the remnants of _The Portal._

"Thanks Berger" Bishop said, and gave the order for his agents to withdraw from the house.

"Have a nice life Ms. O'Neil" he said

As soon as they left, April calmly sat down. She tried to maintain a steady and strong front, but the rollercoaster events of the day, coupled with the tiring hours she spent driving back home, began to take their toll. Casey tried to settle her.

"…I had it. I had it all" April said, " The perfect story. The perfect moment…,my god Casey…what did I do? "

"It's ok, you can let it out" Casey advised.

"Let it out?" a distraught April sharply bellowed, going hysterical with emotion, "Casey, I…just wanted people to know how a few dumb buildings were coming down, I didn't expect THIS. ANY of this. And now he's going to do stuff to YOU if I press further with…with.."

She finally lost it, she grabbed the nearest thing she could find, a lamp, raised it above her head, and savagely dropped it to the floor. Casey walked over and held her. April broke down. The phone suddenly started ringing.

"Who's that?" April asked,.

"Nobody. Nothing. It's just you and me right now. Ok? Don't let the world into your life just yet. C'mon" Casey said.

With the phone still ringing, April and Casey sank back on to the sofa and locked themselves in a warm embrace, locking out the traumas of the day.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Inside the Turtles' lair, within a darkened tunnel alight with scented candles, Leonardo was seated on a partially torn carpet, locked in a meditative pose, his eyes closed.

Around him came a calm, ancient, and empowering voice speaking to him from the shadows.

"Speak your mind Leonardo" it began "What do you possess this day? Knowledge...or concern?"

"Concern master" Leonardo answered

"It is always concern" the master uttered, "You are letting it cloud your learning"

"My brothers grow more curious each passing month Master" Leonardo continued, "They are curious about the world, about how humans thrive up there, they are developing traits shared by humans, traits that you have _not _taught us"

"There is more to the mighty current than just the simple stream" his master softly spoke.

"…I am afraid my brothers will be swept from the stream and head down the mightiest of waterfalls. I cannot embrace my more crucial lessons until I am confident all will join me in learning them" Leonardo added.

"Perhaps is you that needs to join them" the master advised.

Leonardo was hesitant, "I...I cannot master. I feel we belong in the dark. We are shadows"

"All shadows have some shape" the master revealed, "Shadows have the same color. All shadows move in silence, but some shadows can be clearly seen, some even wish to be. There will come a time where all of my sons will give shape to theirs"

"But when is the right time?" Leonardo asked

"The time has come for time itself to wait as patiently as you have" the master revealed.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Topside, at a nearby payphone. Donatello, dressed in a trench-coat, was dialing up a phone number. April O'Neil's number for that matter. He had tried calling her earlier, and was now on his _tenth_ attempt at reaching her

This time, someone did pick up the phone.

"Hello? I'd like to speak to..." Donatello began. Unfortunately for him, it was Casey who picked up on April's end.

"Listen asshole, this is the tenth time you've called today in the span of an hour, we ain't in the mood" Casey replied.

"I'm sorry sir" Donatello said, "If you could just let me speak to Ms. April O'Neil, I'll..."

"You'll get noone and like it"

April walked over to Casey, delicately rubbing and drying her weary eyes that had been leaking tears for the whole hour, and swiftly took the phone from him, "I'll cover it" she said.

"You sure you want to take this? He could be a sicko" Casey said

"Most of my best contacts are sickos" April remarked, and talked into the phone

"Hello?" she said

"April O'Neil?" Donatello asked.

"Not exactly at her best right now so make this quick" she said.

"I'm sure others have tried reaching you about this, but I saw your video online…the one with that weird robot gnasher thing" Donatello said

"What about it?" April asked

"I think it's connected to something I have lying around, something bigger" Donatello revealed.

April was amused, yet interested.

"Tell me more about this...big thing of yours" she said aloud, knowing Casey would pick up on it

"Oh, I knew that guy was a sicko" he said.

"Look, I'll show you samples I took from it, just meet me somewhere around the Chrysler building at Four PM tomorrow, I'll keep in touch so we know where to rendezvous" Donatello continued, "I promise, it's something BIG" he finished, assuring her of an exclusive

April nodded in light acceptance of the deal, "Ok Mr. Sicko, I'm bait"

"Thank you" Donatello replied.

April put the phone down. Casey approached and gently rubbed her shoulders

"April, babe, what is is this? You only got told off by 'Uncle **Fed**' a few hours ago for pulling stunts like this" he said out of concern.

"I have a ladies' afternoon out with Irma, I'll bring her along" April replied

"Why not bring me along?" Casey suggested

"You're in enough trouble with everyone right now, it's best you keep out" April advised.

"April, what if he's one of the guys who jumped you a few nights ago? This could be a ruse to draw you out to them" Casey continued

"I don't think so" April said, stroking her chin, "I have a hunch, just a small one, that vindication is on the way"

"Vindication?" Casey asked

"If I'm right, Irma's got a lot of crow to chew on" April finished.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

At the suburban neighborhood often frequented by Michelangelo, Mrs. Ester was providing young Zach with some candy treats.

"Here you go, should be enough for your friend" she said, handing out a bag filled to the brim with licorice, and lollypops.

"Thanks ma'am" Zach replied, maintaining his manners.

"It'd be nice if I could meet this person" Ester said, curious as to the identity of the brave stranger who had helped retrieve her valuables, "I'm not sure it's wise to hang out with someone who's such a mystery around these parts"

"If you ever met him, I think you'd understand why he prefers privacy" Zach answered, "All I know is he's always come through for me in a tight spot"

"Well if he's got your approval, he's earned mine" Ester replied, and urged him to run along, "Summer vacation's over, you've got school and homework to think about"

Zach ran off, heading in the direction of Klunk's avenue, where his friends were being entertained by a story being told to them by Michelangelo.

" And then, with the gateway to their home dimension rapidly closing, Kirby turned to the gallant Donny and told him to go in ahead of him. Donny complied, but as he returned home, there was only enough room left for a small piece of paper to be sent through, a note that said very little, but whose message meant a big deal. It read '_Don, life at best is bittersweet…Kirby'"_

One of the children, a girl, dried her eyes. "That was beautiful" she said

"Gay" said another much saltier kid, who wasn't impressed.

"Oh c'mon, it was totally 'Band of Brothers'"" Michelangelo uttered in protest.

"You talked about flaky Vikings and rainbow bridges man" the kid replied.

"It's a _fantasy_" Michelangelo explained.

"That's why I can't take to it. Not anything I can relate to" the kid continued.

"In reality, a lot of stories have the same bittersweet endings" Michelangelo continued, trying to elaborate, "Fantasy's just a better way of coping with something you might not be able to handle if push comes to shove"

"I can handle anything" the kid replied

"You screamed like a girl the first time you met me" Michelangelo noted.

"That's what they did in E.T. Didn't stop the kid rising to the occasion and saving the day later did it? That's me" the kid boasted.

"What's an E.T?" Michelangelo asked. The kids laughed. Eventually, Michelangelo joins in too.

They were soon joined by Zach, who showed up with the treats in hand, he'd been tempted to feast on them himself, but as before kept his manners in check.

"Hey, there's our little candy van. C'mon little dude, spread 'em out" Michelangelo said, giddy with anticipation.

Zach opened the bag, the kids and Michelangelo and the kids scrambled for the candy, taking five to eight pieces and cramming them greedily into their mouths. As they laughed and joked around with each other, Michelangelo noticed Zach was a little down.

"Hey, chin up, what's wrong?" Michelangelo asked

"Mike, you think someday...you'll...show yourself?" Zach said.

The activity in the alleyway swiftly settled, everyone became a tad anxious.

"That really wouldn't sit well with a lot of folks…mine included" Michelangelo replied.

"It's just…whenever you get into a fight around here, we have to lie to the adults, or be vague about you, some are fine with that, but others…they ask...questions" Zach continued.

"Questions?" Michelangelo asked.

Zach shrugged his shoulders. "You wouldn't understand" he said, "And they think we're not the age to understand it either...we do though"

"Hey, I understand pefectly, and I can tell you this for certain, I am not a guy with '_naughty magic fingers_' if that's what they're thinking" Michelangelo replied.

This seemed to make Zach laugh, and as a result, the feel-good vibe returned in full force for the group

"Yeah, no kidding" Zach replied, "Every time you try a magic trick, you screw it up"

"Tell that to the coin in your ear" Michelangelo said, and reached for Zach's ear and popped his finger in it, and began probing for something

"I think this is how it works, should be somewhere, need to dig deeper"

The kids swiftly caught on to the joke, and laughed at his antics

"Hey, cut it out" Zach replied, a little annoyed, but having just as good a time with the tomfoolery on hand.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

The next day, April and Irma made their way over to the Chrysler Building, and waited for their mysterious contact. Irma was steadily chewing and blowing bubble gum while April looked impatiently at her watch. It was 4:15 PM.

"He's late" she said

"Everyone runs late at this time of day" Irma noted.

Suddenly, she spotted someone beckoning over to them from across the street, attired in a long trench coat, brown hat and black shoes, he pointed to a nearby alleyway, but kept his face hidden from sight.

"Hey, that may be him" April said, and moved forward.

"I don't like this" Irma said, as she took notice of the fact the stranger was keeping his face concealed.

"Hey" April yelled, calling out to the stranger, and along with Irma, crossed the street to catch up to him, little realizing they were being followed by two men with ripped muscles, white shirts, and slightly torn jeans.

The stranger, in reality Donatello, headed into the alleyway and rendezvoused with Raphael, who was attired in similar gear

"She's coming" Donatello informed him, "She's got company though"

"I shouldn't have agreed to this. I'm usually a night owl" Raphael complained, "What's the plan anyway?" he continued, "Show her the parts and then…what? She's a reporter, she won't stop with questions about just _that"_

_"_Just leave it to me. Showing her what we have should earn enough trust" Donatello replied

April and Irma caught up with him and headed into the alleyway, Donatello and Raphael lowered their heads so as not to make direct contact.

"Alright Sailor, spill, I don't have all day" April said.

"Sailor?" Irma said, a light bulb went off in her head as she realized something, "Oh, you mean.."

"Oh yes Irma. Behold, my knights in shady armor"

"Ms. O'Neil, I really don't know what you're talking about..." Donatello replied.

"Drop the act, your voice is note-for-note a match I heard that night" April responded.

Raphael nudged Donatello, "Next time, use a voice modulator" he whispered.

"Will you pipe down?" Donatello urged

"Who's your friend?" Irma asked

"This is not a social call Ms..." Donatello abruptly said, addressing the woman, but trailed off when he realized he didn't know her name

"…Irma. Irma Langenstien" Irma replied

"...Ms. Langenstien. This is a matter of great urgency" Donatello finished.

"Why all the cloaks…and daggers?" April remarked. Donatello glanced over at Raphael's coat, sticking out of his pocket was one of his sais.

"What the hell is this about?" Donatello said, despairing at the sight, "What did I say about establishing trust?"

"You rushed me out during training, didn't have time to stash it anywhere else" Raphael explained.

This ignited a back-and-forth 'round of bickering between the two, until April quickly brought it to a halt.

"Look, I don't personally care why you're all playing 'Clark Kent', but could you PLEASE cut to the chase. You have something to show me?" she asked

Donatello composed himself.

"Yes, yes of course, here" he said, and reached into his pocket.

Suddenly, the sound of wheezy laughter and callous snickers made everyone turn. The two men that had followed April and Irma made themselves known to the group. They made a chauvinistic whistle at the two girls.

"Afternoon ladies" one of them said.

"What do you two want?" April asked

"Not the right time of day to be wandering into these sort of places ma'am" said another of the two, they both swiftly produced knives, "It can get real painful if you don't pay up with whatever valuables you've got on ya"

"You don't scare us. We're with marines" Irma said

"Marines?" Raphael said, dumbfounded.

"She won't believe you're Turtles" April explained.

Donatello got defensive. "We're not.." he began, trying to maintain the masquerade.

"Cut it out Don. She knows" Raphael replied, cutting him off, and stepped forward as the men got closer, producing his sais

"Raph, we can't risk being exposed like this, whatever comes down, keep it confined to this alley" Donatello advised

"April, let's get out of here" Irma urged, April was quite adamant about staying.

"Not without my story" she said.

The two men observed Raphael, one was more composed than the other

"We can take him" he said in a sly tone.

"He's armed man" his friend observed.

"You heard his pal, they're scared of this getting out of hand, he won't dice ya. Take him. I'll get what I want from the chicks"

His friend picked up what little courage he had to do as instructed. He slapped himself in the face a few times to get into the zone. He let out a yell, and charged Raphael.

Just as he approached him, Raphael kicked him in the stomach and rammed his right down on his back. Raphael stepped over the shattered opponent and headed towards his partner, who quickly reached for and grabbed a startled Irma.

"Let her go" April screamed.

The man slowly surely began to back out of the alley

"You're not a good enough general for this war pal" he remarked.

"Go ahead, test my speed, I may just surprise you" Raphael dared.

The man held his knife close to Irma's neck. "One step further, and her neck slides clean off"

Raphael stalled, unsure of what to do, the man sneered, he seemed to have the upper hand.

Suddenly, Donatello dashed up to Raphael, leapt onto his shoulders, and jumped off, clenched a fist in mid-air, and came down on top of the thug. Irma was released from the man's grip as his body collided with Donatello. Both fell down onto the concrete. Donatello pinned the thug down and held him long for Raphael to take over. Irma observed the activity

"Pfft, they're so fast, and you said they were Turtles" she told April.

Donatello turned around, revealing his hat had fallen off during his jump, exposing his face, and vindicating April as his features were revealed. He was, indeed, a turtle. Irma gazed at him and began to scream in panic, April quickly covered Irma's mouth with her right hand.

The would-be mugger began to stir, Raphael head butted him and knocked him unconscious. Raphael took out one of his sais and hovered it over the thug's left eye. Donatello reacted to this in an alarmed fashion.

"What are you doing?" he asked, angered, "He's not a threat anymore, leave it be. Stay calm, centre yourself, this is not what our sensei taught us."

Raphael sighed, and put his sai away, stashing it back into his jacket pocket.

"Yeah, I know the drill, just wishful thinking" he said. He then turned his attention to Irma and April.

"What do we do with these two?" Raphael asked

"Depends on what they want to do" Donatello said, and approached April "…Your call Ms. O'Neil. If you choose to run, we won't try to stop you"

"I'm not going anywhere" April said, standing her ground, "You're so...unreal, but...I was right"

"Ok, ok, you're right, lemme go, I'm cool, I'm cool" Irma muffled, still a little shaken. April relinquished her hand from Irma's mouth.

"Didn't mean to startle you ma'am" Donatello said

"…Didn't mean to cry out for help because the Martians were clearly invading Mister" Irma replied

"Just call me Donatello" he said.

"I think I'll stick with Martian" Irma remarked

"I've got a thousand questions right now" April said, "…Who you are, what you are, how you came to be, whether or not this is a sign humanity's day as the dominant species are coming to an end….but somehow all I care about is what you originally brought me here to see. I think you'd best show us it. Now. Before I start to scream, maybe after that I'll finally allow myself to faint too"

Donatello reached into his coat and produced the processor from the robot he had stashed in his lab.

"Look at the insignia" he said. April examined it, and was able to identify the logo that matched the one found on the contraption she had possession of a day earlier.

"Now that you know they're a match, I need to examine the device you have" Donatello said.

"I'm afraid I don't have it any longer" April answered.

"Then we wasted our time with you" an agitated Raphael yelled.

"Hey, calm down Raph, we can still salvage something from this" Donatello assured him, and pressed on, "Ms. O'Neil...are you free for the rest of the day?"

"I have a Five O'Clock update in an hour" April replied.

"Good, then you can help blow the lid on what I've got waiting back home" Donatello excitedly revealed.

Raphael pulled him aside, "Are you out of your shell? Leo'll blow a gasket" he said

"Hey, I'm the scientist, leave the blow-outs to me" Donatello wisely cracked.

Donatello urged April and Irma to follow him, and the group soon exited the alleyway and headed down the street, vanishing into the mass of people.

"Where are you leading us?" Irma asked, "Your spaceship or something?"

April urged her to be quiet.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Holding down the fort at April's home, Casey took full advantage of his girlfriend's absence by putting his feet up on the sofa as he watched television.

In a casual mood, he spotted a baseball on the table to the left of him, he scooped it up. He stared at the wall just behind the tv, and in a counter-measure of sorts to clear cut boredom, he threw the ball at it, it bounced off the wall and headed back to him, he managed to catch it and proceeded to repeat the exercise three more times before this too bored him. He tilted his head back and stared blankly at the ceiling, before turning his head in the direction of the same table he had picked the ball from, eyeing a phone.

An idea springing to him, he picked up the phone and dialed in a number. It wasn't long before he got a response.

"Hey, Gabby" he said, "It's me"

In a matter of seconds, his face sunk, as Gabrielle made it clear his call wasn't wanted.

"No, no don't hang up" he pleaded, "Don't hang up. I...kinda want you to cover. Yeah, I need, I think, and I'm nowhere near as good at that as you are, I THINK we need to iron out a few things. I'll explain in detail when you get here. I'm at April's. She's out on business right now, so the floor is all ours."

After a moment of hesitation, Gabrielle agreed to come over. Casey thanked her and put the phone down, he got up and examined himself in the mirror, a look of real concern on his face.

"You better make this count for something Jones" he said to his reflection.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

On a patch of beach just outside of the city, Donatello and Raphael led April and Irma to a large sewer tunnel, their normal method of entrance.

"In here" Donatello said

"Ew" Irma replied, not entertained by the prospect of going in.

"You live…down there? " April added.

"Have you smelt us lately? Where'd you _think _that comes from?" Raphael remarked.

"Ew. Ew. Ew" Irma continued

"Please Ms. O'Neil, Ms. Langenstien, trust us" Donatello requested, and turned to enter the tunnel. As he and Raphael slipped into the darkness, a hesitant April took a few light steps forward, holding her nose with her finger, before pressing ahead

"The scoop of the year, and I hope it isn't just a load of crap…" April said

"Literally" Irma replied, and covered her mouth with both hands. The two vanished down the tunnel.


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

In another part of the sewer hub, Leonardo took a few deep breaths, his eyes were closed as he prepared himself for a somewhat more relaxing task.

Suddenly, a small green finger jabbed into the side of his temple.

"Take the shot 007" Michelangelo said. Leonardo groaned.

"Mikey, please, you're supposed to be sitting down and taking in the experience" he responded.

"Take the shot, what are you waiting for?" Michelangelo continued, opting more for a sense of play.

"Why do you have to do this every time I bring THIS out?" he said, pointing to a grey case opposite him. He opened it up. Inside the case was a beautiful, though significantly scratched, cello

"It's movie magic that's why" Michelangelo replied.

"It's a cello, it's a musical instrument" Leonardo replied in frustration.

"You can use it as a sleigh too" Michelangelo remarked, "C'mon, we can try riding it down the stream just south of us"

Leonardo pulled the cello back as Michelangelo reached out for it, he shook his head, denying the Turtle his fun.

"We are not riding this down any stream. Cellos are meant to be played, not be part of some wayward attempt to imitate some lousy escapist spy film" Leonardo informed him.

"But _The Living Daylights_ is THE spy film" Michelangelo insisted.

"And just why is that?" Leonardo asked.

"It's got a back and forth plot where the good guys are not so clearly defined" Michelangelo explained "You got bogus assassinations, you got this awesome looking car that rockets across a snow-covered landscape, you got that insane General and his action figure death machines "

He started making machine gun noises and the sound of small explosions, getting caught up in the detailed description of the movie, much to Leonardo's chagrin.

"And then there's the tussle in the airplane" he continued, "and the guy grabs Bond's shoe and falls to his death WITH the shoe"

Michelangelo flapped his arms about, trying to simulate freefalling in the air.

"I shouldn't have asked" Leonardo said aloud.

Michelangelo stopped, folded his arms behind his back, and leaned towards Leonardo with a big grin on his face

"And then of course there's cello girl" he said

"Cello girl?" Leonardo asked

"Bond's girl in the film. Well, she's technically the girlfriend of the bad guy, but he starts treating her badly and she falls for Bond half-way through the movie. Really good looker too" Michelangelo continued, closing his eyes and thinking happy thoughts about her.

Leonardo opted to ignore him from this point forward, he lifted up the cello and made preparations to play it. Michelangelo, realizing the conversation was over, allowed his face to sag slightly.

"Sit down Mikey, and prepare to be left a little more cultured"

Michelangelo sighed and sat down, he placed one hand on the right side of his face and gave Leonardo a bored look.

Leonardo smiled, relishing the captive audience of one. Just as was about to perform, Michelangelo sat upright as he suddenly picked up some voices.

"Hey, I think the guys are back" Michelangelo said.

Leonardo was more than a little annoyed as Michelangelo got up and headed in the direction of the voices. He took a look at the cello, and gently placed it down, an opportunity, and an audience, lost. It was now _**his**_ turn to look glum and down-hearted.

Michelangelo ran through the tunnels until he reached the end of one perched high above a large pool of sewage water below. A few inches from him were a series of pipes. Michelangelo took a step or two back, fixated his gaze on the pipes, and ran towards them, he leaped out of the higher-up tunnel, extended his hands out in mid-air, and grabbed onto the pipes, he quickly somersaulted up and over them, and jumped towards another set, letting out a triumphant Tarzan-like yell.

The yell resonated throughout the sewer hub and was picked up by April, Irma, Donatello and Raphael as they made their way through the tunnels on ground level. April was startled by the yell.

"What was that?" she said

"_Someone's _making the most of his Monday" Raphael said sarcastically, "Gee, I wonder _who_"

"Let me handle this ladies" Donatello said, and shouted aloud "MIKEY? If that's you,. WE'RE DOWN HERE!"

"Mikey?" April said.

"Our little brother. Michelangelo" Donatello replied

"Brothers? You're...all related?" Irma asked.

"We're three of four" Raphael said, "Though you might tread carefully where the fourth goes"

Michelangelo's voice suddenly rang out from high above them.

"INCOMING" he yelled, as he dropped like a stone from the array of pipes and landed on his feet like a cat, his fist pounding into the water. He looked up, giving off a cool expression, let down by his eyes beginning to be bulge. Before long, he was wincing in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow" he said, clutching his foot, "my toe, my toe". He had sprained it when crashing down to greet the group.

"I am not doing that again" he said, "Anyway, welcome home, guys...and gals" he said, trailing off as he took a good look at April

"Hi" April said nervously.

"You...you're...awake" Michelangelo said, making reference to the last time he had seen her during the skirmish in the park, where she had been out like a light.

"How observant" April replied

"Uh...are you supposed to be able to see us, 'cause Leo always says we're invisible-like" Michelangelo said, his foot suddenly acted up again

"Ouch" he again yelled, and hopped all the way towards April, and collapsed in her arms.

"Oh, take pity on this poor creature" Michelangelo said, feigning a melodramatic moan, "For I cannot walk through this weariest of worlds any longer"

He smiled and keeled over. April sniggered a little, a sense of assurance washed over her face. None of these strange creatures meant any harm to her. They were on the level.

"Is he always like this?" Irma asked Donatello

"I hope so" April responded.

Raphael approached the two and grabbed Michelangelo

"No pain, no gain Mikey" he said

"Really then?" Michelangelo asked, "Well, you won't mind putting your back into this", and leapt onto Raphael's back.

"Get off me you klutz" Raphael cried.

"Yee-ha, ride 'em cowboy, whooo" Michelangelo exclaimed as Raphael flapped around maniacally, shaking left to right to try and shake his brother off. As he unsuccessfully attempted this, April couldn't contain her laughter any longer. Donatello also found time to smile at the chaos that was unfolding, but his smile soon turned very quickly to concern as he spotted someone climbing down the long ladder connected to the tunnels higher up.

It was Leonardo

"Mikey, I was just wondering how you even came across this _'Living Daylights'_ movie in the first place" Leonardo asked, but as he turned around, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks as he gazed upon the band of brothers, and particularly at the two humans in their midst.

He seemed to grow a little as his temper twisted his expressions, becoming a pillaring tower of strength. He took a slow breath, his eyes shifted into a cold glare, and he moved forward.

Michelangelo very quickly clambered off of Raphael's back. Play time was definitely over. Upon doing so though, he put pressure down on his bad toe again. Immediately, he recommenced hopping.

"Back away from them Don. Slowly" Leonardo said.

"Leo, calm down, they're with us" Donatello tried to assure him, "This is April O'Neil. Remember? From the park?"

"You were told about this" Leonardo said

"Leo, we need her help" Donatello insisted

"We need no one" Leonardo insisted.

April stepped forward, and extended her hand

"Hey, I'd like to thank you for saving my..." she began, Leonardo swatted the hand aside

"Take your friend and go" he said, "If you two take another step further in this direction, I move in"

"And you'll be stopped" Raphael said, pulling out his sais. Leonardo took out his katana blade.

"Not by you" he replied.

"Hey, HEY, I didn't ask for this, let's all cool our jets here" April said, trying to calm the heightened, aggressive outpouring of emotion.

"I'm warning you" Leonardo said.

"Move April" Raphael urged.

"I'm not..." April began, but Raphael continued to motion for her to move. Giving in, she did, and as she did, she glimpsed something. She caught on to why Raphael was insisting she move and nodded to convey her understanding. She grabbed Irma's hand and clutched it tightly.

"Come on Irma, it's safe"

"You sure? He looks like someone who'd probably hit someone with glasses" Irma replied.

Leonardo and Raphael continued their stand-off.

"I'm warning you Raph. You try me, you WILL lose. This isn't a game"

April and Irma moved forward, Leonardo went for them. All of a sudden, Michelangelo, still hopping about the place in pain with his injured toe, lost control of his balance and collided with Leonardo. The two Turtles fell over, Leonardo's blade fell out of his hand. Raphael, having predicted this inevitability was on the horizon , took the opportunity to laugh at Leonardo as it came to fruition.

"You're right, it isn't a game...It's totally a cartoon"

Leonardo looked at Michelangelo with a deathly stare.

"Sorry bro" Michelangelo said. Leonardo threw his weight off of his body, got up, and brushed himself down.

"This doesn't settle things Raph" he said

Raphael picked up the blade and pointed it at Leonardo's chest

"You're right, school's still in session, but we can call time on it over one simple word...just say it" he replied

"Put that down you idiot" Leonardo said, and the two engaged in another tense stare down

Suddenly, a voice from the heavens rang out

"Raphael, stand down"

Leonardo smiled. The rest of the group all looked upwards.

High above them, an ominous figure cloaked in shadow addressed them. Donatello instantly recognized it. Each Turtle's reaction was different, Donatello was filled with alertness, Michelangelo was joyous, Leonardo felt reassured, and Raphael felt dread.

"Master Splinter" Donatello said.

"Dad" Michelangelo reacted.

"Sensei" Leonardo responded

"Grounded" Raphael muttered, and dropped the blade. Leonardo picked it up and placed it back in its pouch at the back of his shell.

From their point of view, April and Irma couldn't make out the figure.

"What is this about?" the being identified by name as Splinter calmly asked.

"Two of your sons have returned from the surface…they have brought humans with them…" Leonardo explained. Michelangelo swiftly cut him off

"Hey lemme tell the story…ok papa, Leo was all like 'I gotta play', and I'm like 'yawn', then I hear 'yatter yatter"' so I totally go 'Geronimo', I hit the floor, BAM, then…"

He pointed to April , "I go 'va va VOOM''

April laughed.

"Then" he continued, pointing to his foot, "Ouch"

"You done?" Leonardo asked.

There was an awkward pause, followed by Michelangelo finishing his sentence. "VERY ouch"

He turned back to Leonardo, "Ok, totally done" he said.

"I tried to prevent from advancing sensei. There was insurrection"

"Master Splinter, this woman can help us join the dots and help to unravel more about the great struggle Raph went through some nights ago. It could help to save more lives should someone similar to his foe from that evening strike again" Donatello explained.

"Look, me and my friend came down here voluntarily, we're not asking for trouble" April said.

"Then I shall ask for your company" Splinter replied

"But Sensei..." Leonardo began, but Splinter had heard enough.

"Remember what I told you about time Leonardo, for it has been patient enough. We must now make time for others"

"Well it's _about _time" Raphael said

"Yes, this is very timely" Donatello responded

Donatello and Raphael moved past a dumbstruck Leonardo and began ascending the ladder leading to the tunnels higher up. Michelangelo hopped over to it but couldn't put the weight down on his foot.

"Um…guys? STILL Ouch" he said.

April approached him, she placed her hands on his foot and examined it.

"Let me take a look at it, I did a physical therapy course in college"

Michelangelo sat down, April did a little bit of tweaking and twisting with the injured toe. In next to no time, he could feel the pain gradually lifting as she set to work on it. He wriggled his toes a little, then a lot, then jumped up with a spring in his step, he twirled around.

"Better?" she said.

"Right as rain" Michelangelo replied. He motioned to scramble up the ladder, but politely made way for April, giving her a courtesy bow.

"Miracle workers first" he said.

"Thanks, Michelangelo" April said.

"Stick with Mike" Michelangelo said.

"Mike it is" April acknowledged, and climbed the ladder, Michelangelo followed, as did Irma. Leonardo was the last to follow

"This is a big mistake" he whispered.


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

At April's home, Casey was still laying about on the sofa staring at the ceiling, so bored and lost in his thoughts he hadn't budged from the spot for several minutes.

There was a knock at the door. Casey jumped up, very alert. He hastily swung his legs off from the sofa, only to end up crashing into the assorted heaps of books and coffee mugs on the table. He looked at the mess and hesitated to answer the door until he cleaned it up. Knowing the patience of his visitor was quite thin, he scrambled for the kitchen and grabbed the sheet from the dining table.

He headed back into the living area and draped it over the mess on the floor. He combed his hair lazily with his hands, using his own saliva to moisten it, and went to the door. Opening it, he found Gabrielle.

"Hey, you're here" he said, "You look...you look..." he began, digging deep for a fresh compliment.

"Just be honest" Gabrielle said.

Casey obliged. "You look pissed off" he replied.

"Cab driver didn't know which street to comb" Gabrielle complained, "I ended up paying double the amount because he took so damn long. I was praying for contractions just so he'd give me some kind of pity and spare me the pay-off"

"Too bad you didn't, If he did, you could have named the kid 'Mercy'" Casey joked. Gabrielle didn't crack one grin.

"'Mercy', you know, nice name, maybe put a French spin on it..." Casey continued, trying to stretch out the tired joke to no avail.

"Just let me in" Gabrielle ordered. Casey did as he was told, and she entered the house.

"Not a bad place" she said, until she spotted the draped sheet on the floor in the living area "...Almost" she finished

"Decorators" Casey explained

Gabrielle wasn't convinced. Casey nervously tried to change the subject, "Would you like anything to drink?" he asked

"At this time of day?" Gabrielle asked.

"This is'nt like my pad Gabby, we do have fruit juice" Casey replied

"Alright, I'll have that then" Gabrielle answered, sitting on the sofa and spreading herself out

"You feeling ok?" Casey asked, noticing that she was breathing heavy

"I've got your magic bean turning into a fucking beanstalk on a monthly basis, how do you think I feel?" Gabrielle snapped.

"Fair enough" Casey said, and went back to the kitchen to check the fridge, between Sunny D and some purple stuff, he opted for the latter.

"April's blog being pulled made a few papers" Gabrielle said, "If you want to make the entire afternoon about how much grief you're getting with her, you can forget it"

"April can take care of herself" Casey assured her, coming back in with a glass full of the purple concoction. Gabrielle took the glass and quickly downed its contents

"So it's all about you again is it?" Gabrielle asked.

"You're a part of this too" Casey said.

"Yeah. Sad thing is it was by choice" she remarked

"I kinda got a scare recently. Made me reevaluate what I'm doing" Casey explained

"That skirmish you were involved in at the leisure center? It finally snapped your eyes wide open?" Gabrielle inquired.

"…How'd you know about that?" Casey asked

"C'mon Casey, your little attempt at playing chicken was seen by every other zero you work with. I hang out in the places you keep April well away from remember?" Gabrielle revealed

"Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly _that_ that woke me up" Casey replied

"So what was it?" Gabrielle asked. Casey was hesitant to answer for fear it would paint a picture of him in his ex-girlfriend's already critically scathing eyes.

"Doesn't matter" he said, "All I care about right is making sure every interest is protected"

"Nice to know you still think I'm interesting" Gabrielle remarked, giving him a faint and all too rarely sincere smile.

"I need a new toy. I want you to help me look for one" Casey said. Gabrielle laughed.

"Christ, something has scared you shitless" she said.

Casey gave her a puppy dog look, trying to convey his sincerity.

"What do you say Gabby?" he said.

Gabrielle looked at him, after a few moments, she sighed, she could tell that this time Casey meant what he said.

"…Ok. Ok, if you really mean it, sure" she said. Casey sat down beside her and gave her a tight hug.

"You're the best" he said.

As the two set themselves to work, unbeknownst to them ,the house was being monitored by an unmarked black van parked on the other end of the road.

Inside the van, two men were seated at the driver's seat, looking over at April's house. One of the two was Rocksteady.

"He's restless in there. We need the order to go in soon" he said

"The order comes down tonight. Not before" his friend informed him, "Besides, O'Neil hasn't turned up yet"

"Eliminating Jones would be just as effective" Rocksteady insisted.

"Is this eagerness to jump the gun for Bebop's benefit or for yours?" his friend asked, pointing to the back of the van where a faint growl could be heard. Rocksteady lit up a cigarette.

"Stick to your job and call it Cue-Ball" he said.

Cue-Ball took out his phone and called in H.Q

"Saki? Yeah…still no show from O'Neil. What'll we do when we get to the allocated time?"

Cue-Ball heard and absorbed a series of instructions, "Ok…Ok. Thanks. Yeah. Yeah, I think he'll keep. Thanks. Cue-Ball out"

He turned back to Rocksteady

"Saki says if she doesn't turn up, we're to go in anyway. Happy now?"

Rocksteady breathed a wisp of smoke in Cue-Ball's face.

"Oh I'm quite good" he said.


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

For April and Irma, entering the Turtles' humble abode was an eye-opening experience, and even though the place still looked quite unkempt, they admired the effort to make it look a little structured.

"Welcome ladies" Donatello cheerfully said

"This is so unreal, this place even has a bit of a fragrance to it" April replied.

"Yeah, our master's keen on freshness" Raphael revealed, "I'd rather have it full of teen spirit"

"Speaking of your 'master', where is he?" April asked

"Probably went back to his chamber" Leonardo answered

"Really? I thought being in a place like this you could take a whiz anywhere…" Irma said. Leonardo glared at her.

"His meditation chamber" he coldly replied.

"Oh. Oops" Irma answered, feeling awkward

April noticed a faint light in one of the tunnels up ahead, she walked over to the source, despite Leonardo's protests. She found herself in a brightly lit chamber, multi-colored, scented candles were lined up in rows to the left and right of her, there was a long ancient-looking carpet draped over the floor, and a figure could be seen dwelling in the dark, his appearance occasionally glimpsed by the flickering candlelight.

April, apprehensively, took a step forward, sensing she was close to whoever 'Splinter' was, but not wanting to tread too near for fear of the unknown. For all the wonders she had seen this day, she was still at her core, terrified of them, and can only wonder how the mentor of the four strange creatures would react to her presence.

"Hello?" she said

"Yes" a voice replied

"Hey...you're Splinter? Right?" April asked

"I am what I am" the voice replied

"Ok, whatever, I'd just like to say 'thank you' for letting me and Irma into your home, I..."

The tall figure rose up and stepped out of the shadows. April took a step backwards in clear shock.

Standing before her, revealed fully by the flickering candles, stood a furry, brown, scrawny, yet intimidating looking rat-like creature, his eyes full of age and wisdom, his nose frequently twitching. The creature maneuvered around April, examining the startled woman

"Oh my god" April said, her voice wrought with fright, "You're a rat. A giant rat"

"My appearance concerns you?" Splinter asked

"On top of everything else?" April said.

"You are what i suspected. You do not let fear conquer you. You were at ease with my sons, you will be at ease with me"

"Your sons?" April asked, before relying on her faithful memory, "Of course, Mike called you 'pa'. Weird"

"Obviously, they are not of my blood, but they are of my mind, they channel the spirits of mankind's most influential of ancestors" Splinter revealed

"They're Turtles. You're a rodent. How does that work?" April said.

"Right questions, but is it the right time?" Splinter asked. He ceased examining her and slipped back into the darkness, April became more unnerved

"This is...I don't know what to think..." she said

"Yours is not the expected reaction" Splinter said, remerging from the dark, holding a cup in his hand. "Here" he said, offering it to her, "It will sooth what little nerves you currently have"

April, demonstrating her knack for bravery in the face of startling experience, took the cup from Splinter. She took a sip.

"Good?" Splinter asked

"It's...remarkably soothing" April said

"Are you at peace now?" he continued

"I...you know...that's a difficult question for me" April answered, "And it has little to do with you, I'm just being as frank as I can, given everything that's happened to me before I even met you"

"A right answer then" Splinter said, "In this world so awake, very little are at peace, they cannot afford to be. The urge to make a difference, the commitment to better one another, dominates our concerns and crafts our causes"

"That's true. I may not be at peace, but at least I'm not_ in_ pieces, like I could have been in the park that night. That's all thanks to your 'sons'"

"My sons. The extension of my mind. My students" Splinter said, "I am their teacher, yet I am a student myself. Learning from my sons, as they learn from me. I remain a disciple of the arts I have taught them"

"Arts?" April asked

"Ancient skills of combat taught across the generations by the finest who specialize in it, and instructed to me by my own master" Splinter revealed

"And who's he? A giant chinchilla?" April joked.

"Everything, even evolution, starts with a pattern. Man from sea, us from something…similar, yet so different"

By this point, the Turtles and Irma had joined April in the meditation chamber, they all remained quiet out of respect for Splinter and his captivation of April.

"Perhaps it is best that I tell you the whole tale…and take you back through those many years, to the last lessons of my old life, where the student parted with his master…"


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO**

**Authors Note: Italics represent Splinter's flashback narration.**

The moon beamed brightly above the blanket of night and a breezy evening. Outside a warehouse guarded by a heavily fortified gate and patrolled by two security guards, a large carrier truck was stationed nearby, amongst its cargo were several thousand tiny canisters bearing the initials "T.C.R.I" on the front. The canisters contained a green liquid.

_"My master, Hamato Yoshi, was tasked with great burdens in his final days, but he never forgot to include me in his routine"_

Inside the van, a man nursed a large bowl. Inside it was a rat of small height and build, standing upright on both legs. It raised his right leg up and kicked high into the air, throwing a punch with its left hand, it twists its body around and delivered a spinning kick with its other leg.

Observing the rat's behavior was an Asian man of middle age, wearing a cream jumpsuit and baseball cap. He beckoned over to a beutiful Asian woman that he could see approaching, dressed in the same gear, she was holding something in her hand

"Teng-shen. Come see" Yoshi said. The woman walked up to the van, opened the door, and clambered inside. The man shook the bowl ever so slightly.

"Come on boy, show her" he said. The rat performed the same trick as before.

"He's perfected the technique I see" Teng-Shen realized.

The man noticed she was holding a tightly-wrapped plastic bag filled with water. He noticed something moving inside

"Where were you anyway?" he asked

"Pet store down the corner" she revealed

The man got a better glimpse of the bag, he noticed five tiny baby Turtles floating about in the water

"You got another one didn't you?" he said

"The other four needed a bit of company" Teng-Shen explained, "I thought I'd add a female to spice it up"

"And are you going to apply your 'skills' to that one too?" the man asked

"I work better with females. Besides, your star pupil has to be starved for competition by now" she said

"If you think I'm going to have my pet spar with yours, you're sorely mistaken" the man spoke

"Oh come on Yoshi, why ever not?" Teng-Shen moaned like an unsatisfied child

"They don't mix" Hamato said, "Who ever heard of a Ninja Turtle anyway?"

"I'll have you know they've been taking instruction _very _well" Teng-Shen insisted, "...Though it does take them a while to get the hang of the reflexes"

"Even so, they're incapable of swift, consistent movement, they can't conceal themselves in the wink of an eye. Next you'll be telling me Rabbits can be samurais and Frogs can be archers" Hamato said.

The rat observed the four Turtles from his bowel, it got a little excited and let out some squeaks.

"Aw look, he's curious" Teng-Shen observed.

The two soon noticed a second man, dressed head to toe the same as them, with a long mullet at the back of him, approaching the van

"Come see, Yoshi taught his pet the technique" Teng-Shen said to the man, who came over.

"Have you taught him how to apologize yet?" the man said

"What for?" Teng-Shen asked

The man lifted up the lower part of his ear to reveal a visible, blood-red nick.

"How'd you get that?" Teng-Shen inquired, stroking the nick delicately with her finger

"Blame your little Splinter" the man said, pointing accusingly at the rat/

Outside the gate, the two guards remained vigilant. Suddenly, a small dart with tiny blades sticking out of it cut through the throat of one. The other went to check on his partner as he slumped dead to the ground, but was caught in the forehead by another dart. He too was killed instantly.

The commotion was enough to make Tenng-Shen and Yoshi's friend turn around. His face froze. He noticed the corpses beyond the fortified gate, and, just as quickly, was face to face with something directly in front of him

"Yoshi...'Shen...look" he said

All three of them stared out. There, standing as still as statues, were three hooded figures in black jumpsuits, a "Foot" symbol etched on their masks, their mid-section each displaying a black and purple belt, on their backs were pouches containing swords and smaller handheld weapons.

The ninjas quickly spread out, one remained in front of the truck, while two of them covered the left and right doors of the vehicle.

"Call security. Now" Hamato ordered.

One of the intruders, seemingly the leader, produced a small device from his pocket and activated it, he held it high aboe his head, it produced a flickering red light. Hamato's friend reached for his walkie talkie and spoke into it.

"Control...control, come in" he said, but all he could get was static

He turned to Yoshi, "Nothing" he said

"I'm sure that device is to blame" Yoshi deduced

"Yoshi, I'm frightened" Teng-Shen confessed, putting her free hand on Hamato's shoulder, Hamato gently placed his own right hand on hers and stroked it lovingly.

One of the ninjas opened the door on Hamato's end and dragged him out, Hamato held on to Splinter's bowl, taking it out with him. As he was thrown from the truck, he let go of the bowl, it crashed to the ground, freeing the rat, who scurried behind the back wheel of the vehicle.

The second of the group opened up Teng-Shen's end of the truck and motioned to skirt past her friend and grab her. The man took exception to this

"Get away from her" he yelled, and hurled himself at the intruder, grabbing him, both tumbled on to the ground, the man threw rapid punches into the Ninja's face, but his foe reversed their positions with a well-timed roll, he began to choke the man, tightening his grip on his throat.

Hamato, in the grip of the other Ninja, managed to break free and fiercely jabbed his opponent in the face with his two fingers, he then delivered a high knee to the ninja's chin. He ran to his friend's position, leaping into the air and bringing down a strong chop on to the ninja attacking his partner. Despite being on the ground, Hamato's friend joined in on the attack by unleashing a knee-deep kick to the Ninja's groin.

As the Ninjas staggered away, Hamato extended his hand to his friend, who elected to pick himself back up

"I was doing just fine" he said

"Yeah, you were going at 'break neck' speed" Hamato joked.

Hamato and his friend stood united as the Ninjas regrouped and encircled them.

"What now?" the man asked

Hamato spotted the device in the lead Ninja's hands

"That's a scrambler of some kind. We take that out, we can call in reinforcements" he said.

The Ninjas unsheathed sharp blades from their back pouches.

"This just got complicated" Hamato's friend remarked

"Weapons are a last resort of those who know they have met their physical match" Hamato commented

"Do you seriously believe all that movie lingo you absorb?" his friend asked

"Belief is all you can be..." Hamato replied, and looked back at the van, glimpsing the concerned Teng-Shen.

"...Love is all you can afford" he concluded

The man looked at the truck, and turned to Hamato. Of all the things to understand in the heat of battle, this was something he felt needed to be kept in mind the most. He nodded in agreement.

The battle was joined.

Hamato's friend went for the head Ninja while Hamato back-flipped all the way over to the truck with two of the others in pursuit, swinging their blades trying to cut through him as he did this, but he was able to succesfully avoid these attempts at dicing him. He clambered onto the bonnet of the truck, turned around and surprised the Ninjas with ferocious kicks. Recovering quickly, the second of the two ninjas again swung at him, but Hamato ducked, jumped off the bonnet, landed behind his foe, tapped him on the shoulder, and smashed him with a closed fist as he turned to meet him

Watching the battle unfold behind the wheel was Splinter.

_"Until then, I had never seen my master truly fight, aside from training with his sparring partner, who now was his ally in the fever-pitched conflict. I stood by, watching, in many ways taking this in as another lesson. In many ways it was"_

Meanwhile, Hamato's friend remained locked in combat with Ninja holding the scrambler device, they exchanged punches and kicks, each equally matched. Hamato was distracted by the third Ninja, the second had disappeared without trace

_"I learned the notion of courage, the necessity of combat in the name of preservation…"_

Teng-Shen emerged from the truck, holding her bag of Turtles, mesmerized by the battle unfolding before her.

Then, suddenly, brutally, a blade passed through her stomach. The second Ninja had reemerged.

And he had claimed a victim

_"…And the swiftness of tragedy"_

Teng-Shen released her grip on plastic bag, now split open as a result of holding it too close to her mid-section. It hit the floor. The five baby Turtles emerged from it.

Hamato spotted what had transpired, and yells out Teng-Shen's name in dread and shock. He rushed over to her, blood pouring from her lips and mid-section. He shook her, gently sobbing There was little he could do.

"Speak to me. Please." he begged. Teng-Shen's eyes rolled up over, her body went limp. In a span of seconds, she was still and silent.

Hamato's eyes were awash with tears, he gritted his teeth, he stared upwards, there was the Ninja, blade in both hands, raising it high above his head, prepared to strike.

_"It is said that in times of war, the laws fall silent. Laws that maintain peace, and balance. My master was always of this mentality…until this moment. I understood then and there that he had never experienced, in all his days of preparation, be it with me or with himself, the realities of mortal combat"_

Hamato Yoshi steeled himself, and as the blade came down, he grabbed it with both hands, he rose up, still clasping the blade, he stared into the black featureless face of his masked opponent, and lets out an emotionally charged, primal yell, he released his grip on the blade and kneed the Ninja in the stomach, he threw a series of punches at the Ninja's face, rocking him back and forth.

These were not the well practiced moves of a martial arts pro, but the physically dominant blows of a man pushed to the edge. This was no longer a movie for Hamato, there was nothing to over-romanticize.

But the sudden turn to a barbaric, aggressive take on combat blinded Hamato to his surroundings. As he threw a firm uppercut and knocked the Ninja to the floor, he grabbed the mask fixed to the face of his foe and tore it up, revealing a bloodied Asian man, coughing violently.

Hamato raised a clenched fist, ready to inflict another devastating blow on Teng-Shen's killer, when out of nowhere, his hand was severed by a swift of swing of another sharp blade from the second on the dangerous trio, who had successfully sneaked up on him

Hamato let out a blood-curdling scream, which drew the attention of his friend, still locked in combat with the lead Ninja

"Yoshi" he screamed

Hamato Yoshi, near-helpless, refused to die, and, almost as if losing his hand ignited a second wind, resorted to again using disciplined martial arts tactics. Yoshi's friend tried to find an opening and help him, but his own foe would let up.

The lead Ninja bellowed out instructions as he kept the man at bay with a surprise headlock

"We're wasting time here. Take the truck" he yelled.

The unmasked Ninja headed over to the front of the truck, and got in on the driver's end, preparing to drive the truck out.

"Yoshi, the canisters" the man yelled

Hamato nodded in understanding. He attempted to approach the truck, but the second Ninja tried to thwart him at every turn. Hamato struggled to fight back with his one remaining hand and a few meek kicks, but his strength was rapidly fading. He only succeeded in backing up against the side of the steadily moving truck. His foe closed in.

_"Then…in a moment I would struggle with for many a year, my master made his boldest, and most final, act in this world, one that would change mine, and others, forever…"_

The Ninja raised his blade, Hamato spotted how close he was to the canisters. In a final burst of energy, he tried to tackle the Ninja, but his foe threw him back and lunged at him with his blade. Hamato threw himself onto the blade, and as it passed through his body, it pierced the row of stacked canisters. The slimy green liquid poured on to the ground.

"No" his friend screamed. The first of the Ninjas was enraged.

"You fool, you've compromised the cargo! We dare not drive this out of the compound, we'll leave a trail all over this stinking city" he screamed.

Suddenly, a fire lit up under Yoshi's friend and he too manifested his grief into brutal combat. Breaking out of the headlock, he gained the upper hand, blinding his foe in the eye and delivering a chop to the back of his neck. He grabbed the scrambler from the Ninja's hand, dropped it the ground, and crushed the device with his right foot. He then gave the Ninja a firm kick square in the behind. The man picked up his walkie talkie from the ground and spoke into it.

"Control. We have a breach outside, I repeat, we have a security breach" he said.

The three Ninjas regrouped. The man approached the three.

" You're not going anywhere" he said

"My friend. We are anywhere and everywhere" the lead Ninja revealed, "We shelter in this world's undergrowth. You would have to evolve all manner of matter to seek us out, and you would have to ignite a greater fury to awaken this sleeping world to us"

"I'll remember that" the man replied.

The ninja looked to his defeated, exhausted disciples.

"Ninja, vanish" he said, taking out a small capsule and throwing it down. Upon impact, the three Ninjas were surrounded by smoke.

The man ran through the thick smog produced by the capsule, trying to prevent their escape, but he could find no trace of them. He was left befuddled by their disappearance

His mind turned to other matters, and he rushed over to Hamato, his body was a dismembered mess. The man knew checking for a pulse was futile, but he did so anyway.

He spotted something lying on the ground nearby, the tattered remains of the mask ripped from one of the ninjas. He picked it up and examined it, looking closely at the Foot symbol atop it. His hand tightened around the mask, visibly shaking with rage.

The doors of the warehouse swung up and several armed men swarmed out. Security had arrived. And they were too late.

Elsewhere, the sheltered rat emerged from behind the back wheel of the truck and scurried through the murky puddle of green liquid, past the five Turtles, who were also playing about in it, and towards Hamato Yoshi's corpse.

_"I could not fully comprehend what had transpired, all I could think then and there was unspeakable loss, perhaps it was this sense of confusion that compelled me to take my next action…to flee, to make sense of what this world had inflicted on my present days, I needed to spend my future learning why it worked the way it did"_

The rodent, now covered head to toe in the green substance, began to move away from the corpse, when he noticed one of the baby Turtles was following him

"It was probably my first clue…fate had arranged the end of one journey, and with one single step, another journey began. One was followed by another, and another. These creatures, whom I had heard my master described as "slow", were quick in choosing a path to follow. Impressed, I took my time in leaving my old world behind, so they could continue to follow"

Splinter slowly lead the way, the four Turtles followed him out of the hole in the gate. The fifth, which hadn't been covered in the substance, also followed at the urging of the fourth, who waited up for it, keeping it in with line with the others.


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

**PRESENT DAY**

"So they didn't set out to sea?" April asked, "The Turtles, I mean. I figured that'd be their first instinct.

"You think someone with dimples like mine wants them torn off by whatever's in the ocean? You can totally forget about it" Michelangelo protested.

"She does have a point, and I have a possible theory..." Donatello said, but Raphael shoved him aside

"Don't bore the lady" he said.

"May I continue?" Splinter said. Raphael nodded

"What if she gets bored of him?" Michelangelo whispered to Leonardo, who groaned

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO**

The five infant Turtles and Splinter waddled eventually made their way into the sewer network, Splinter picked up portions of discarded food and nibbled on it

_"As I gave in to my natural indulgences, those around my environment seemed to imitate me"_

Four of the Turtles began nibbling on the cheese as well, although the fifth did not.

_"Having no previous experience with creatures of their kind, I assumed this was normal…but normal was not the priority of our lives going forward. Over time, I began to over think my situation, a part of me was frightened by how much more aware I was, I began to hesitate, question my nature, question myself. And as I aged, I grew, in body, in mind, and so did others"_

As the days and months passed, a gradual growth could be seen in four of the Turtles, they began to stand on two legs, and eventually, they even attempted to speak, but could only let a simple series of squeaks.

Splinter, too, had changed, he had accelerated in size, he could also stand upright, and was more assertive. He gradually learned to study the Turtles as they playfully pushed and prodded one another, and eventually indulged in merry little chases across the tunnel. At first, they moved rather slowly, but over the gradual passing of time, they began to pick up speed.

_...But while I was curious enough to try to understand and react to the change in them_, _ I did not know how to react to the change in me_

Splinter, struggling to make sense of things, would often hit the walls in frustration, and allow his anger to rise. The Turtles would often catch him in one of these moods and would be visibly shaken by it, one even started to cry. It was only then Splinter would catch himself, and began to become more disciplined to avoid upsetting the younglings.

_"I was processing so much of my past, struggling to establish a present frame…and then something in my mind became open to a thing I would identify as "memory": voices, instructions, language, names, history, things my master had told me in private conversation between himself and I, a bond I could only define as that of teacher and student…it was those words, those definitions, that made my choices from that moment onwards clear."_

Having had this epiphany, Splinter towered over his infant in the Turtle in the midst of their manic little games, and changed their world with his first real command

"Now. We learn" he said

He began with teaching them words...and didn't confine them to just simple terms.

He began with his name

"Splinter" he said

"Splin-ter, Splin-ter, Splinter" one of the Turtles replied, gradually getting to grips with the pronunciation.

"Technique" he continued

"Technique" said another Turtle, this time with considerably more ease than the first.

Another of the Turtles was occupied with the words on a discarded pizza box

_"In time, they also grasped how to read and process words beyond my mere instruction"_

"Pepper...pepperoni" the Turtle said, and looked into Splinter's eyes lovingly, awaiting an approving nod. Splinter shook his head

_"…If __only __books were readily available in this dwelling…"_

Splinter would also occasionally go topside and visit the nearby junkyards, climbing vast custom made mounted layered with scrap, metal, car engines, tattered clothes and other brick-a-brac.

_"Every now and then, I made personal trips to the surface…trips I forbade my sons to make at so young an age. I looked for the usual things to sustain myself and my pack, but one fateful day, I found something else entirely…I found a calling."_

Splinter heard a commotion occurring nearby, he clung to the shadows and hid atop the shell of a burnt-out car. Nearby, there was a large barrel alight with fire, nearest to was a man being beaten senselessly by five skin headed males dressed in dark blue jackets, decorate with tiny spikes on their shoulder pads. The beating was brutal, as the innocent victim was hammered by fists into the knees and stomach. He pleaded for his attackers to show mercy. They did not. Splinter looked on at the carnage, uncertain of what to do.

_"My master had talked of this kind of crime many a time…the persecution of people with differences in color, even beliefs. I did not do anything that night…I couldn't risk it, my sons needed me in this delicate time of their growth…but I also realized that, in time, they, who were as unique to the world as I was, would need to be ready for such moments of sheer madness"_

Splinter searched through the heap of junk, finding scraps of clothes. He tore at the fabric, taking tattered pieces of several shirts, and, knowing he could do little else, scurried away

Back home, the infant Turtles were again playing around with each other. One of them was closely examining a discarded tool box containing various nuts and bolts. Another happily played with the more primitive fifth Turtle, feeding it portions of cheese and lattice.

Splinter soon graced them with his presence, and playtime for all soon stopped. He was holding several rags in his hand, the remains of the shirts he had ripped earlier. He beckoned the Turtles over. He asked one to come forward, and to kneel down. The Turtle did as instructed. Splinter put one hand on his head, stroking it delicately, before wrapping one of the rags, colored blue, over the Turtle's head. The Turtle stared upwards, struck in awe.

"We have learned to speak, now we learn to ACT" he said.

Under Splinter's tutelage, the Turtles would spend the next few years of their existence learning the art of combat passed down from Splinter by Hamato Yoshi. Their speed gradually increasing along with their prowess. They gained an intense desire to out-perform the other, which would occasionally lead to friendly sparring matches orchestrated by Splinter as a means of perfecting their skills all the more

_"I gave them everything I had learned from my master. Hold for hold, move for move. I tapped into my special strengths, and encouraged them to bring out their own"_

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**FOUR YEARS LATER**

During another trip up to the city, Splinter was rummaging through a bin in a nearby alleyway when he heard a loud bang, an explosion of some sort. He peeked his head around the corner to find the windows of a weapons store shattered, with smoke pouring out of the front door. Two masked men darted out of the store holding a load of swords, sais, and a till full of cash. They rather clumsily ran down the road towards a nearby getaway car, dropping several weapons on the way

Shortly after the car took off down the road, Splinter rushed over and examined the weapons on the ground, they were a Katana blade, a pair of sais, a bo staff, and a pair of nun-chucks

_"Fortune continued to deposit things in my lap….again, what was born from tragedy would become a symbol of hope in greater conflict to come"_

The four Turtles, no longer vulnerable infants, soon took to training with their weapons, fighting one another with them, each of them steadily growing in confidence. A young Raphael, displayed an arrogant cockiness when tackling young Michelangelo. Young Donatello wielded the Bo Staff with expert agility whilst a set of work tools lay next to him. After some practice, he sets to work with the tools, never letting his first true interest drift too far from his mind.

_"My students now welded equalizers…but they still needed to become equals to themselves, I did not want them to go forward as strangers, they required…identity. I searched deep within the recesses of my mind, the place many solutions had come, and recalled my master's love of the architects of the __ . To connect them to that enriching period of history, I assigned them the names of those artists: Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello._

_And so the years continued, as did their lessons, and their growth… until their curiosity commanded them more than I could"_

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**PRESENT DAY**

"How do you feel Ms. O'Neil?" Splinter asked, having concluded his tale

"Still confused...a bit, but I somehow feel very privileged to have heard all that" she replied

"So…wait a minute, something doesn't quite add up" Irma said, "And _that's _saying a lot given this, ALL of this, doesn't synch up…if you were always a rat before you "evolved"…how did your master teach you ANYTHING about Martial Arts? About the renaissance painters? Anything as complex and rich in history like that?"

Raphael leaned over to whisper something simple in her ear, "he doesn't know" he said. Leonardo nudged him, having overheard.

"The miracles provided by my master are well versed in secrecy, but locked deep within the complex matters of the mind, the solutions to those years of learning are beckoning" Splinter answered, having also overheard. "Constant meditation, constant preparation, has provided me many an insight into how my world functions, and what my master achieved…"

"You don't have a clue do you?" April insisted.

"No" Splinter replied.

"This is a waste of our time" Leonardo sharply spoke

"Hey, I was just curious" April said

"Yeah Leo, it's nice to know not everyone knows every little thing. It means we're all learners. So that means there shouldn't be a pecking order" Raphael replied

"You forgetting your place again?" Leonardo asked

"Let's just say I'm an equal opportunities kind of guy. Besides, this dame's a reporter, she can help us get the low-down on our origins" Raphael proposed.

"My story, I completely forgot about it" April realized

Donatello pointed to a corridor to the right of them. "Just down here April, I have what you want in my lab"

"You have a lab? You Martians know what a lab is?" Irma asked

"We can read and write Ms. Langenstien" Donatello said, "I thought that was made very clear"

"Call me Irma" she said.

"Only if you stop calling us Martians" Donatello insisted.

"Won't do. You hate when I do that. I think that's cute" Irma replied

Donatello swiftly pulled April aside. "Is she _flirting _with me?" he asked.

"It's her way of coping with stress. Just ignore it" April advised

"Right, we'd best get to work" Donatello said.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

Assembling at Donatello's workshop, the remaining Turtles, Irma, and April watched as Donatello threw off a large white sheet concealing a heavy humanoid figure beneath it. It was the robot Raphael had dealt with a few nights ago, or rather, what was left of it.

There was a tense silence before Irma began to analyze it.

"It's a mess" she said.

"Of course it's a mess. Raph wasn't exactly formal in his waltz with it" Donatello replied.

"It's certainly hi-tech, I'll give you that" April continued, "Much more complex than the robot I found. What do you want me to do about this?"

"Blow the whistle on it in your next report" Donatello said.

April was hesitant.

"I can't" she said, "Feds brought the hammer down on my last expo, that's why my site was taken down in the first place"

Michelangelo soon rejoined the group, sporting a fake moustache.

"Look, look, guess who I am?" he asked

"I don't even know what that thing is on your face" Raphael replied

"Not now Mikey" Leonardo advised.

"I found a whole trunk of fancy-dress garments in the junkyard, figured we could go topside using whatever's in there. Beats the old trench coat routine"

"That's it Mikey, you're a genius" Donatello said.

"Great, it's 'talk like a pirate day' up top, I've got something that'll fit you just right" Michelangelo said

"Oh I'm not touching anything you have in there. What I meant by 'you're a genius' is you've just helped me work out what we can do to get April's story out there" Donatello said

"Disguise?" April asked, before realizing what he meant, "Of course, break the story anonymously"

"I've been working on some home brew websites down here, I can set you up with one" Donatello said

"Ok, you focus on getting the site prepped, I'll prepare the report…but…I'll need to disguise my voice somehow" April said.

"Just use mine. You write the lines, I'll utter 'em" Michelangelo proposed.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" April said.

"Sure, I've got a voice radio is just dying for" Michelangelo boasted

"How long will this take?" April asked Donatello

"Depends on how quickly you want to send out the report" Donatello said.

"Let's get to it then" April concluded, looking at the time on the clock above the lab.

5:45 PM

By 8: 45 PM, April and Michelangelo were still trying to put together the report.

"Take 45..and...go" April said.

"Cyborg killers from Planet X invade Earth as city sleeps! Government baffled and playing with the public! Do you know where your children are?" Michelangelo rattled off excitedly. April's frustrations grew and grew

"Cut, cut, CUT" She bellowed.

"Aw no fair, I finally nailed my 1950s B-movie thriller narration" Michelangelo complained.

"I didn't write any of that in the script, you're ad-libbing it all. Planet X? Seriously?"

"Yeah, good call I guess...'Planet X' is a little corny, it'll also attract the conspiracy nuts...I got it, _'Cyborg killers from __Dimension X'_, how's that for a hook?"

Irma groaned, she looked over to Donatello.

"How's the website going?" she asked

Donatello presented her with the finished results on his computer, a custom blog called 'T.N.N'

"It's been ready for an hour. I was just waiting 'till Mikey was off whatever planet he was on before telling you" Donatello revealed

"Right, we're gonna try this one more time Mike, and I don't want to hear one utterance of planet, dimension, or downtown X" and especially nothing about life being for anyone who taking anything at the stroke of 4:20. Understood?" April ordered.

"Can I at least keep my username?" Michelangelo asked

"Fine, fine, just stick to the script" April insisted.

Michelangelo grinned and nodded in compliance. He began again.

"Alright cats, you're listening to 'viral shell-shock' with the first edition of 'T.N.N', and we begin with a hot topic that you're all being kept in the cold about...'till now"


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

At April's home, Casey and Gabrielle had been hard at work scouring the local newspaper want ads, searching for some kind of meaningful job for Casey. Pages were spread everywhere. Casey took a cigarette from an open box , lit it, and smoked frantically. Gabrielle took notice

"Give me one" she said.

"You're pregnant. Forget it" Casey replied

"I won't light it. Promise" Gabrielle assured him

"Use a pen if you want to simulate that, you're not wasting my smokes" Casey said. Gabrielle gave up, she studied another of the papers.

"Oh you'll love this" she said, '_Psion Labs Research Assistant required, must be specially gifted at Microchip fitting and has a firm handling of cybernetic interfacing as well as a keen and able mechanic_'

"Micro chipping cars? Who am I, Wilton Knight?" Casey asked

"Just sounds like a very able job" Gabrielle suggested, "You've always fancied yourself a bit of a hi-tech kid"

"Yeah. When I was a kid" Casey said.

"But you proved how good you were with machines working in the garages. I like to think junior could be an extension of the gifts you're sitting on." Gabrielle continued

"Forget it. I get all pent up working under those things, I've got physical gifts, I want to make that count for something more than petty prize fights"

"There's always Church work" Gabrielle added.

Casey sprung up.

"Don't go there" he snapped

"They have a charity boxing program, you can..." Gabrielle began, but Casey wouldn't have any of it.

"No, no, no" he said.

"C'mon Casey, the sisterhood downtown never forgot what you put yourself through to keep their shelter safe" Gabrielle added

"It just wouldn't mix. I'm an atheist" Casey said

"It's not about believing in what 's up there you idiot" Gabrielle said, pointing to her heart, "It's about believing what's in here"

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, Gabrielle displaying a mellower and more emotionally charged look in her eyes.

Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door. Casey walked out into the hallway and opened it

"Yeah, what is..." he began, only to be cut off as a hand reached out and grabbed him by the throat. The figure entered the door. It was Rocksteady. He charged through the hallway and into the living room , throwing Casey over the sofa . As Casey got up, Rocksteady grabbed his hair, and head butted his face. Casey reeled back and hit the floor)

"Oh my god" Gabrielle said in alarm, she tried reaching for Casey, but Rocksteady towered over her

"Move aside" he said

"Gabby, get out of here" Casey pleaded. Rocksteady scooped up Casey again, he held him close to his own face, he began to breath deeply

"Where is Ms. O'Neil?" he said

"If you think I'm telling you, you're fucking crazy" Casey said

"You should talk" Rocksteady remarked

He looked around, and spotted a clock atop the wall

"…Time to play about with seconds again don't you think?" he said

"What are you getting at?" Casey asked, choking as the grip on his throat tightened.

"For every second you keep Ms. O'Neil from us, you will experience pain"

"Count 'em fucker" Casey snapped back defiantly.

Rocksteady grinned, he clenched his right fist

"One" he said, and threw the fist into Casey's stomach. Casey balked, but managed to hurl a spit in Rocksteady's direction.

"Two" he continued, and choke slammed him through the table. Rocksteady picked him back up almost immediately.

"Three" he continued.

Before the next blow could be struck, another second wasted on a pound of flesh, Rocksteady was hit in the back of the head by an object, a vase, which shattered over his head. He fell over, releasing his grip on Casey as he did so.

Casey sat up, and saw Gabrielle looming over Rocksteady's limp body

"Come on, let's get the fuck out of here" she said, helping Casey up and supporting his weight, he was still visibly rattled and was having difficulty keeping upright.

The two made a frantic exit out of the house. Watching them exit the house from afar in the van parked outside was Cue-Ball

"Shit" he said, and reached for his phone

"Saki, they've made it out of the house" he said.

"Set Bebop loose" Saki instructed.

"That wise? The woman Jones is with is pregnant" Cue-Ball replied

"Then do your best to separate her from Jones" Saki ordered

Cue-Ball complied and get out of the van, rushing over to the back doors of the vehicle, which were held together by a shaft of metal. Cue-Ball heard a wail of banging from the inside of the van. He hesitated briefly before delicately removing the shaft. With a sigh, he opened the doors.

"Go" he said.


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

A few meters from April's house, Casey was able to regain some feeling in his legs, and he broke off from Gabrielle's support.

"You sure you can walk?" Gabrielle asked

"I'm fine. You got a phone?" Casey said

"Yeah, yeah of course" Gabrielle replied

"Give it here" he said, putting out his hand. Gabrielle handed him the phone, and he quickly began making an urgent call.

Inside the Turtles' lair, everyone had settled down, having managed to get April's story out, and were now laughing and joking amongst themselves, Mikey was sharing some kind of a joke that made everyone groan and laugh in equal measure. April's phone, situated on Donatello's workbench, began ringing. She walked over and picked it up

"Hello?" she said

There was a tense beat before a familiar voice said her name

"Casey?" April said. The Turtles turned their heads.

"Yeah...yeah of course I'm fine, more than fine, I've worked out a way of covering that story..." she said as she answered Casey's concerns for her safety.

There was another moment of silence on her end.

"What do you mean don't come home?" she said, "I don't understand..."

"Look" Casey's voice rattled, "Look, it's those bastards that had a go at us in the park, ok? God help us April, they know where you live, they're coming after you, don't show up and you'll be fine"

April looked distressed, Michelangelo offered to go up to her, but a commanding glare from Leonardo froze him in his tracks

"Casey, baby...what about you?" April inquired.

"It's ok, Gabby and I…" Casey began, but this was enough to really infuriate April, and she cut him off

"It's perfectly fine for your pregnant ex to be with you and not me?" she said

"As soon as we get clear of the street, I'll tell her to go somewhere safe, leave me to their tender mercies" Casey replied.

"The hell you are" Gabrielle said, having overheard him.

"Just please, April, for once do as you're..." he began, when, all of a sudden, he heard a loud snarl. He and Gabrielle looked upwards

There, standing between them and the stretch of road leading away from the house, was a large hulking mesh of

of man and animal, a humungous human-warthog hybrid attired in a punk vest and large bronze shoulder pads. it looked over the two, a mysterious metallic 'third eye' attached to its forehead.

Casey and Gabrielle backed away.

"…What in gentle Jesus is that thing?" Casey said

"I thought that was one cat you didn't believe in" Gabrielle remarked.

"I don't know what to believe anymore" Casey replied.

"Casey?" April said over the phone

"April, don't come here, just don't. I love you" Casey said, and switched the phone off.

The creature once known in human circles as Bebop moved forward slowly, forcing the two back towards April's house. By now, Rocksteady had recovered and hd stumbled out of the house. He stood guard over on the lawn.

"Gabby, get out of the way" Casey said, spotting Rocksteady

"You heard me earlier. Not a chance" she said

"Oh for god's sake" Casey said, and shoved her aside before darting down the street. Bebop picked up speed and pursued him., letting out a savage squeal commonly found in warthogs.

Gabrielle tried going after the two, when Cue-Ball pulled up his van in front of her. Gabrielle banged on the front window of the van.

"Out of the way asshole, that thing's gonna kill him" she said.

Cue-Ball pulled down the window to address her.

"Apologies ma'am, but that's the point" he said

His phone rang

"I have to take this, excuse me" he said.

Observing things on the special cameras he had fitted to his henchmen, Saki gave out a further set of instructions to Cue-Ball

"Make sure the law isn't called upon the land" he commanded.

Cue-Ball reached into his pocket and produced a miniature key ring, he pressed down on it, within seconds it began to flash a bright red.

"Done" he said

Gabrielle threw her arms up in the air, not knowing what to do.

"Casey" she said, close to sobbing.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Back at the lair, April was in a rush, gathering up the tape recorders and Donatello's laptop, she began to make her way to the exit tunnel

"Weren't you told not to go back?" Donatello said

"Since when did I ever listen to my boyfriend?" April replied

"Donny's right girl, it could be the same bozos we saved you from that night" Michelangelo added, putting a hand on April's shoulder

April stroked the hand affectionally, and calmed herself a little, "Look, it's sweet of you to be concerned, but I can handle this"

"Not without us you won't" Raphael said

"What do you propose exactly? You go with me?" April said, "Forget it"

"I agree" Leonardo added, "It's out of the question"

"So this is what they teach in school these days?" Raphael asked, "Sit around and do nothing while innocent lives are endangered?"

"In this instance, I'd help, but this wouldn't be like what happened in the park. It's a larger community with more people"

"Leo's right. What if we're seen?" Donatello added.

"Dude. Disguises. Simple" Michelangelo replied.

"Yeah, just use the trench-coats we got stashed. Instant incognito" Raphael said in agreement.

"Aw, I was gonna settle more on a pirate outfit" Michelangelo said in dismay.

"I don't have time to argue guys" April said, "Take a vote or something, I've got a ten minute walk back to the beach waiting for me, and then a fifteen minute drive back home. I need to get moving"

"You heard the lady…let's vote. I'm in" Raphael said.

"Two out of four over here" Michelangelo spoke.

Donatello nursed his ribs, which were still throbbing from the last altercation the Turtles had.

"I got banged up pretty badly last time, I don't think I've recovered, I may have to sit it out if needed"

"So it's a no?" Raphael said

"I'd never forgive myself if something happens and I wasn't there to at least do something…so if Leo agrees to go, I will too"

Raphael turned his attention to Leonardo

"Hate that it's come to this, but this is your call Leo. Is it the shadows…or the innocent?"

Leonardo closed his eyes, and after a minute, snapped them back open, having made his decision.

Before long, everyone had made it to April's car and were well on their way to the scene of the crime. April was at the wheel, whilst the Turtles were all huddled together wearing trench-coats and hats. Michelangelo was wearing a moustache.

"…How do you move around in these things at night? Seriously" Donatello asked Raphael

"Hey, it's your fault for wearing pants AND a buckle.. I go commando" Raphael replied

"Are we there yet?" Michelangelo whined, before a frustrated Leonardo pulled the moustache off of him.


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

Back at April's neighborhood, Casey had taken to hiding behind a car in a nearby neighbor's driveway. He looked up to find two kids were staring at him from their bedroom window. He motioned for them to avert their gaze in case Bebop spotted them.

Bebop loomed nearby, sniffing the air, trying to focus on a distinct set. Something soon grabbed his attention, he moved away from the driveway, heading to a house on the far right. He made his way over to a freshly baked pie that had been left out of an open window ledge to cool off. Bebop feasted on it.

Casey slipped out of his hiding spot and tried to shoot past April's house and down the other side of the street, but was quickly intercepted by Rocksteady, who spotted him. He backed up and rushed back into the house. Once inside, he feverishly worked on locking and bolting the door. He pressed himself against it, and tried to compose himself.

Outside the house, Rocksteady looked at Bebop and nodded. Bebop finished eating the pie and charged towards the house and plowed through the door, and head first into Casey. The two tore through the hallway and into the living area. Casey found himself pinned against the wall. The clock fixed to the ceiling was rattled and fell onto Bebop's head. Slightly stunned, Bebop let Casey slip from his grasp. Casey slid under Bebop and dashed back through the hall. Bebop quickly recovered, and, in anger, tore the sofa apart and threw the half torn piece of furniture across the room before resuming his pursuit.

They eventually reached the staircase leading upstairs. As Bebop got too close for comfort, Casey stomped on Bebop's nose and tried to run up the stairs. Bebop brought his fists down, pummeling the staircase, reducing the bottom steps to a pile of splintered wood and rug, cutting Casey off and leaving trapped on the top floor.

"Smooth move there" Casey said, "How the fuck are you going to get up now?"

Rocksteady entered the house and eyed up what had transpired

"You pea brain" he said to Bebop

Casey entered April's bedroom,, where he spotted the window and exited through it. He lunged for the drainage pipe near the ledge, managing to hold onto it. He slid down the pipe and landed safely in the back garden. Rocksteady, however, spotted him from the window in the kitchen that overlooked the garden

Bebop took a few steps back, and charged through the kitchen, aiming for the wall rather than the door. The wall burst apart and Bebop ran towards Casey, managing to tackle him

The two rolled over the dry grass. Casey tried to break free, but Bebop had grabbed his ankle, and was putting his weight on it, just about crushing it. Casey powered out, but lost his shoe in the process. His ankle gravely hurt, he meekly limped over to the front, where he found Rocksteady waiting for him. Casey was now almost spent from exhaustion, and resigned himself to the inevitable. He spread his arms out wide.

"Is now a good time to give out a foot massage?" he asked

"Oh I am TIRED of you being pretty about this…" Rocksteady said, and cracked his knuckles. Casey closed his eyes and prepared for the end

Suddenly, Rocksteady heard something, and was greeted by blinding flashing lights. April's car smashed into him. Casey opened his eyes and watched the car's content pile out

"April?" Casey said

"You ok?" April said, running up and embracing him

"Yeah, yeah" Casey said, looking on at Rocksteady as he lay on the ground semi-motionless.

"Shit, I didn't kill him" April said

"No. Your driving TOTALLY sucks" Casey joked. April smiled, and kissed him on the forehead.

"I told you to stay well clear of this" Casey said

"When it comes to me looking after you, I'm all clear" April replied.

"Aww, that's so cute. Group hug guys" Michelangelo said, interrupting the two and motioning for an embrace with the other Turtles. Raphael smacked him on the head.

"Who are your friends?" Casey said

"They're helping me out with the story" April replied

"Yeah, we're...erm...detectives. Private detectives" Donatello added

Raphael slung his arm around Leonardo's shoulder

"Yeah, this one's a _real _private dick" Raphael said

"Quit it" mumbled Leonardo.

"Listen...April, I appreciate the help, I do, but you got to get moving" Casey pleaded, "There's this...thing back there"

"Noone around here has bothered to help you?" April said

"They must be too scared to try. Knowing what's back there, I don't blame them" Casey said

"Just for clarification…what exactly _is_ back there anyway?" Michelangelo asked

The right side of April's house suddenly exploded in a mesh of glass and cement as Bebop pounded his way out of it and headed in the vicinity of the group.

"Aliens!" Michelangelo screamed, and the group were quick to scatter.


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

April and Casey tried to enter the car, but Bebop caught up to them. Casey nudged April out of the way as Bebop raised his fists high and brought them down on the hood of the car.

Bebop then, to the astonishment of his targets, lifted the car high in the air and tossed it at the Turtles, everyone jumped in all sorts of directions as the car landed and skidded across the tarmac.

Casey and April, sprawled on someone's lawn, tried to gather their thoughts, they looked upon the damage inflicted on the car

"We're ok right?" Casey said

"Totally insured. I think" April replied.

The Turtles put themselves in front of the two and stood off against the advancing Bebop brandishing their weapons

"Those detectives of yours have weapons?" Casey asked

"Erm...yeah, civil defense. Lots of perks" April answered

"Battle plan Leo" said Donatello. Leonardo eyed up the situation, sensing Bebop was as interested in them as they were with him

"Encircle it. Give it no room outside" he ordered.

The Turtles understood and split off, surrounding Bebop to the left, right, front and back of him.

Watching from Bebop's third eye, itself a micro-camera, was Saki back at the warehouse.

"Who in the hell are they?" he said

"Hey, the reporters back , we can nip this in the bud" said Conduit.

Saki switched on an intercom on his control console and spoke through it. Bebop picked up on it.

"Don't just stand there you fool. Take the target out. Let nothing stop you" he commanded.

Bebop charged forth. Leonardo jumped high, spun around, and kicked him in the head. Bebop fell backwards, turned around slightly, and was greeted by another high knee from Raphael.

He swayed to the left, Donatello slammed his bo staff into Bebop's gut and then caught him beneath the chin with then brought it down on Bebop's head. Bebop threw an uppercut and tried catching Donatello with it, but Donatello ducked and then jabbed Bebop straight in the right eye with the staff. Bebop, now partially blinded, ran in Michelangelo's direction.

"Alright big boy, come and get 'chucked" Michelangelo taunted,, and twirled his nun-chucks around, grazing both sides of Bebop's face with them, Bebop shook off the attacks and smacked Michelangelo across the face, the force was so great it sent Michelangelo across the street, his hat flew off. He planted his feet on the concrete but couldn't stop his momentum, and he tumbled backwards and slammed himself hard on the back of Cue-Ball's van.

"I told you we should have got him a grapping hook" Raphael said to Leonardo.

Michelangelo struggled to compose himself, he reached for the top of his head to find his hat was missing.

Watching nearby, Casey was shocked to see what was before him.

"Sweet gentle fuck, is that a ,,,Turtle? That's not a Turtle is it?" he stuttered.

"Well they sure aren't alligators" April quipped sarcastically

Bebop caught sight of this, and as he gazed upon them, so did Saki from the live feed in Bebop's camera.

"Those freaks. Again" Saki muttered, pounding the control console.

Bebop, await instructions, took small steps forwards, the three Turtles gathered in front of him

"Tread carefully ugly" Raphael said

"I've had to depend on my weapon more than you guys, and it's barely phased him, and you saw how badly Mike was messed up" Donatello pointed out. Raphael turned again to Leonardo

"Oh there's some logic bombs for you fearless leader" he remarked. Leonardo paid him no mind, he was fixated on the problem. Bebop, despite his sheer power, seemed to be holding back for some reason. He scoured the area.

"What's he waiting for?" Leonardo asked himself, Or even searching for? For such a powerful , incredible force, there seems to be an invisible force restraining it "

"I agree. It's like something is pulling the strings. I think he's taking orders, that's why we're not an immediate priority" Donatello theorized.

Also watching the action unfold was Gabrielle, who called out to Casey and April. Casey ran up and hugged her

"Why are you still here you crazy bitch?" Casey replied

"I've got to tell Junior here about all the times you fall in with the wrong crowd. They make good life lessons No, scratch that, I stayed 'cause I love you, you idiot" Gabrielle replied.

Everyone resumed watching the battle

"So, level with me, who's winning?" she asked

"…I don't think any of us are gonna come out of this winners. _Whoever _the fight goes to." Casey answered.

"Why, what's..." Gabrielle began, but trailed off when she noticed a groggy Michelangelo.

"…That's a Turtle." she said.

"Yeah" Casey replied

"…They're Turtles and they're brandishing weapons" Gabrielle continued

"Civil defense. April told me" Casey replied.

"Where is she anyway?" Gabrielle asked.

Casey looked around. April was nowhere to be seen.

"April? APRIL?" he yelled.


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

Unbeknownst to Casey, April had gone back to her house, making her way through the remains to the back garden, where she found her small black shed was still standing.

"Thank god it's still there" she said

Back at the front of the house, Bebop was relayed a new set of instructions from Saki

"New orders. Kill the freaks"

Bebop let out a howl and eyed up the three Turtles, he began to charge them. His strength was so great that he easily swatted Donatello and Leonardo away like bugs. Raphael stabbed him in the arm with his sai. Bebop yelled in pain as the sai was embedded deep. A strange mixture of red and green blood poured out. Bebop grabbed Raphael and tightened his grip on his neck. Leonardo struck from behind with his blade, creating a gash in Bebop's back. Bebop spun around and threw Raphael clear into Leonardo. The two Turtles fell backwards onto each other. Bebop approached them

"Get away from him" Raphael said, protecting his brother.

"Raph, keep calm" Leonardo begged, "We have to strategize"

"I'll give you a strategy, HEY MIKE" Raphael yelled, "MOVE

Michelangelo nodded, and just as Bebop was about to ram him, he threw himself clear of the van. Cue-Ball spotted what was about to happen on his rear-view mirror and turned his head

"Oh shit, OH SHIT" he cried as Bebop collided with the van, tilting both it and himself over.

"That's why you never park in the middle of the street" Raphael remarked.

In great pain and slightly more panicky, Bebop sat right back up, rubbing his head slightly, it took him a little while to gather what little thoughts he had,, when he realized what he had done, he folded himself into a heap and whimpered like a lost puppy

Cue-Ball crawled through the wreckage of the van, his hands were bloodied, pieces of broken glass lodged into them, he spread them out, looking for something

"Cue-Ball" Saki's voice rung through the audio implant in his ear, "Come in, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok, I think I've dropped the jammer though" Cue-Ball revealed

"Well find it. We can't afford the cops to be contacted" Saki insisted

"No worries, I've found..." Cue-Ball began, when suddenly, the small device that was lying in front of him was smashed by a high heel. Cue-Ball looked up. It was Gabrielle, looking quite pleased with herself.

The Turtles approached Bebop. Leonardo leading the way, the four prepared to resume the battle once again

"Explain to me why we're about to recommence a dance with this freak?" Raphael asked

"He seems focused on us now. If we run, we may cause harm to the whole area while he searches for us. We have to make our stand here. What do you say?"

"We're dead" Donatello said

"Buried" Raphael added

Bebop rose from the debris of the van, he began to advance on the Turtles

"We better get creative. Real fast" Donatello said

Bebop began to spin around with his arms stretched out, turning into a physical tornado, every time the Turtles tried to attack him, they were struck down and sent flying.

"I feel like I've been thrown far from Kansas" Raphael quipped.

"Leo, this isn't working" Donatello uttered.

Observant to the end, Leonardo spotted something. Bebop was dazed, his head was racing.

"I think all that spin cycling made him dizzy. Now's our chance" Leonardo said.

"More likely he'll be worse than ever in this condition. Face it Leo, we stand no chance" Donatello said in a defeatist tone

A voice suddenly rang out, the Turtles turned around, it was April, who was brandishing several garden utensils such as Garden Rakes in one hand and Shovels clasped in another.

"Thought you might need something from the "Mary Shelly" range…get it? 'Cause you're totally dealing with Frankenstein?" she said.

"What's a Frankenstein?" Raphael asked

"Give a hoot. Read a book" Donatello replied

Leonardo took the shovel and examined it.

"I appreciate the help, but we need something that'll keep the creature under control, not continue to aggravate him"

"Guys, I'm getting creative" Michelangelo said.

"Not now Michelangelo" Leonardo said

"But this'll totally help us out…" Michelangelo insisted.

"I said not now" Leonardo said.

"Aw shoot" Michelangelo said. April approached him.

"Hey, I'm all ears. What's your plan?" she said

"Depends on whenever or not you have it" Michealngelo said

"Want to check with me?" April said

"Lead the way" he said

As Michelanngelo and April dashed back to the wreckage of April's house, the Turtles struggled against Bebop.

Suddenly, Bebop was struck from behind, he turned around, angered greatly by the surrpise attack. It was Casey, brandishing his hockey stick.

"Hi" he said

"Hi" Raphael replied

Bebop swung Raphael around and threw him into Casey. The two crashed to the ground, Raphael quickly picked himself up

"Appreciate the help pal, but this is a job for professionals" Raphael said.

"Hey, professional hockey player, I have legit credentials, what do you have? A green card?"

"Oh. Funny AND an asshole. I like you loads" Raphael said as Bebop came at them, forcing the two to scatter


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

April and Michelangelo returned to the scene of the action with something different in tow. "Guys, refocus a little alright? Mike's idea might just work" she said

"You listened to him?" Leonardo asked, annoyed slightly.

"Might as well get this over with. What is it?" Donatello inquired Michelangelo produced a sizeable portion of duct tape. "Ta-da" he said excitedly

"Duct tape?" Donatello said, shell-shocked, "Are you serious?"

"Saw it on a wrestling show once" Michelangelo boasted proudly.

"How can you watch…ANYTHING that gives you these kind of ideas?" Leonardo chimed in

" I think this can work" April assured them

"Chicks totally dig creative minds" Michelangelo said gleefully as April put her faith in his plan.

"Fine, fine, we've tried everything else" Leonardo conceded.

"Now we need to find something to stick that brute to" April commented

Donatello spotted a nearby lamppost, he beckoned Raphael over to where he was standing.

"Raph. Lure him over here" he instructed, pointing to the lamppost. Raphael got in Bebop's face shortly after

"Hey, hey UGLY" he said

"Insult him with something as lame as that. Yeah, you're a wise man" Casey criticized.

"I tend to save the best stuff for my brother" Raphael replied

The two turned around as Bebop advanced, they began to both make a beeline for the lamppost.

"That's it, lure him over there" Donatello urged them.

Michelangelo suddenly reacted to an invisible force smacking him in the face. He shook his head ever so slightly. "Uh oh" he said.

"What is it?" Donatello asked

"Reality slap" Michelangelo answered.

"…A reality slap?" Donatello inquired.

"I get these all the time. Nothing to worry about" Michelangelo assured him.

"What are they then?" Donatello asked, now very curious.

"They're the part of my brain that lets me know just how dumb and unrealistic my ideas can be, and how they'd never work. Like I said, nothing to worry about. Everything's cool.. This is totally going to work."

He soon reacted to something else.

"What is it now?" an observant Donatello asked.

"I don't usually get two reality slaps in a row" Michelangelo replied.

After a hectic game of cat and mouse, missing the mark a couple of times and being chased in a merry little circle that tired Bebop out further, Raphael and Casey's gambit finally paid off. The Turtles eventually succeed in tying Bebop up to the lamppost using the duct tape, wrapping it around his chest. He struggled a bit, but the tape was too strong.

"What a parcel" Raphael said.

"Put a little bow on it and he's all set for Christmas" Michelangelo commented, pulling Bebop's cheek. "Who's a little cracker eh? Who's a little cracker?"

"Alright, now it's time for you guys to disappear" Casey said, pointing his hockey stick at Raphael.

"What's with the attitude? We just saved your life" Donatello pointed pout

"Yeah Casey, don't dick around with them now, they're the guys who saved me at the park" April insisted.

"Hey, they are NOT guys, or people. Just look at them" Casey responded.

"Hey, we're no spring chickens, but I bet even if we had a staring competition in the mirror, it wouldn't crack when seeing our mugs, _yours_ on the other hand..." Raphael remarked.

"Oh yeah tough thing? Wanna play a game of chicken?" Casey said, pushing Raphael

"Oh I'm game for anything" Raphael said, and pushed Casey back. Gabrielle tried to keep Casey restrained, while Leonardo and Donatello both had to grab hold of Raphael

As all of this went on, Michelangelo noticed April had distanced herself from the squabbling, he found her looking on at the wreckage of her house, she began to gently sob, the events of the whole day finally taking an emotional toll on her. Michelangelo reached out to her.

"Hey, hey, the good guys won, don't be like that" he said

"Look what that bastard did to my house. Oh Mike, I've lost everything" April said, holding both hands to her face, falling apart emotionally. Michelangelo gathered her up in his arm and held her as she cried

Her distress caught Casey's attention and he ceased arguing with Raphael, his hot-headedness was not cooled by April finding solace in someone's arms other than his, and he walked over to confront Michelangelo.

"Hey, I'm the boyfriend, I'll take care of that" he said

Raphael broke free of his brothers and tapped Casey on the shoulder, "I don't think the lady is in the mood for a human tug of war" he said.

Leonardo froze, "guys, wait, listen" he said

Everyone stopped, and slowly joined Leonardo, keeping their ears open, within seconds, they picked up the faint sounds of police car sirens

"They're here, thank god!" Gabrielle said

"Who's here?" Raphael asked

"Stick around and find out wise guy" Casey said

"Casey, shut up" April snapped, and turned to address the other Turtles, having composed herself

"Guys, that usually means more people are on the way. People who won't understand what happened here. Or you. You better split. You've done all you can"

"It wasn't enough though, was it? I mean we couldn't stop your house from being totaled"

April dried her eyes and gave Michelangelo a warm smile, putting one finger on his nose.

"Lighten up, we're all alive aren't we?" she said

"Yeah, but life without a tv must suck though" Michelangelo added. April laughed and gave him another hug.

"You did good Mike. Really, you all did good. Thanks. Now go" she said.

"I don't know about this guys, that creature was way too hot to handle for us, what makes you think others can cope?" Donatello commented.

"You worry too much Don" Michelangelo said, "That thing's one big Christmas decoration now, no way is it gonna harm…"

There was a sudden roar from behind them. Bebop, while struggling to break free of the duct tape, had tore the lamppost clean off of it's foundations with his sheer strength, though he remained attached to it.

Michelangelo felt another invisible reality slap leave its mark on his face.


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

As Bebop swung the lamppost he was attached to rather violently around the area, Raphael and Michelangelo made swift jumps over it .

"Well genius, think it's time we close that one dollar store selling those ideas of yours" Raphael said.

(On the lawn near April's house, Rocksteady was also beginning to stir. Cue-Ball rushed up to him

"You alright bro?" he asked

"Please tell me we killed that woman" Rocksteady said.

"This whole night's turned to shit, cops are on the way, Saki wants us to pull back. Like now" Cue-Ball replied

Rocksteady spotted the Turtles.

"Them again" he said.

"Yeah, we'll work this all out when we get home" Cue-Ball responded, and yelled to Bebop

"Tail it" he instructed.

Bebop understood and ran past the Turtles, knocking them down just one more time as he dashed across the street and out of sight, followed by Rocksteady and Cue-Ball

"C'mon, we better cut him loose...somehow" Cue-Ball said, pondering what to do about the duct tape.

"How are we gonna keep this quiet on the cops end?" Rocksteady asked

"We can't this time, we'll have to leave a breadcrumb" Cue-Ball said

He produced a small card from his pocket and deposited it on the ground, the two then resumed their pursuit of Bebop and eventually all three vanished from the neighborhood

Recovering from Bebop's physically taxing retreat, the Turtles were quick to scatter as police cars got closer and closer.

"Come on guys, put some lift into your legs, they're almost upon us" Leonardo ordered

"As soon as I remember where that thing left my legs, I'll let you know" Raphael said.

Michelangelo attempted to jump on Donatello's back.

"Piggy-Back ride!" he yelled

"Try that with me and I guarantee you'll get another reality slap" Donatello said

The Turtles _eventually _ran off. April, Casey and Gabrielle watched them leave as the police cars swarmed all over the area.

"…You were hugging that thing" Casey remarked

"And, again, shut up" April said

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Within his lair, Saki was incensed at this set-back. He swatted aside a table full of half-empty glasses of liquor, he pickd up a bottle of the stuff and threw it against the wall.

His head sunk and he spread his arms across the console and the array of monitors atop them.

"Conduit" he said quietly.

The man working at one of the laptops was slightly unnerved by his boss' attitude, but remained glued to his computer.

"Yes?" he said, taking a gulp before speaking.

"I need you to contact our source underground. Bebop's bringing a souvenir back home with him, I need it examined." Saki instructed

"I'll see what I can do, but he's been looking the other way for a while now, our offers may not be enough for him anymore"

"We'll manage just fine" Saki said, and addressed two more of his underlings.

"…When Rocksteady gets back. Prepare him" he said

"Boss, you sure that isn't a little…I mean, well, a LOT more…" Conduit began, speaking out in slight protest at Saki's intentions.

"…A lot more WHAT?" Saki said.

"Boss, it was chaos out there tonight…there was barely any control…" Conduit continued

Saki approached him and aggressively tossed the computer off his lap and pulled him close to him.

"You have never SEEN chaos, and you would be wise to enjoy the control I permit you" Saki hissed. Conduit threw his hands up in defeat

"Ok…ok…just…saying we're starting to get up in the numbers with our…our 'pets' is all…."

"There's more to come." Saki said, "Tell our source to focus on THAT bit too, I'm willing to double his price on the original mission alone if he can complete work ahead of schedule"

Conduit picked up his computer and set to work

"I presume we're pushing everything up then?" Conduit asked

"We don't have a choice" Saki said.

He returned to his console and replayed footage from Bebop's "third eye" camera, watching the Turtles do battle with him, he focused on the part of the fight where Raphael stabbed his sai into Bebop's arm, watching it intently.

"What are you?" he asked


	31. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

By now, it wasn't just police that were combing the area, there were fire engines and ambulances. A crowd of restless neighbors, adults and children, had amassed. The adults were demanding answers, some of the kids were discussing how cool everything was and imitated parts of the battle they had witnessed through their bedroom windows. Police were questioning witnesses, trying to get a description that they could buy into and believe.

Amongst those surveying the damage to the area was Agent Bishop and an entourage of FBI agents. Bishop was on the phone to someone, and wasn't happy with what he was hearing

"I thought you were past these kind of fucking slip-ups…" he said. The voice on the other end soon enraged him.

"…No, no, don't tell ME I'm being paranoid, you've always wondered just how much of that stuff went missing two years back. If I were paranoid, I'd be strongly suggesting you put this party together as some sort of reaction to the duties your division are meant to be indulging in. You want me to follow that line of inquiry asshole? You keep trying me, now do some interrogating on your end and produce some results, get back to me in an hour. Yes an hour, nice to have a more immediate deadline isn't it?"

He cut off his phone. His associate, Berger, approached him

"Trying to pin the blame on the donkeys?" he asked

"Never mind them for now, you got anything?" Bishop asked, "Local police, even our own phone lines, taking an hour and forty-five minutes to respond to panicked calls describing something out of a Jim Henson movie can't be relegated to simple shell-shock at the sight of something like this"

"We talked with one witness who said there was some kind of jamming device being utilized" Berger explained

"Yeah, and by whom?" Bishop asked.

Berger produced something from his pocket. It was the calling card left by Cue-Ball

"We found this on the lawn near the house" he said

Bishop examined the card, it carried a distinctive logo, a symbol of a foot.

"Shit, they're advertising now" he remarked, and turned back to Berger

"Get in touch with our contacts in Japan, tell them to close in on as many of the local hang-outs for these clowns as you can, we'll snuff them out yet"

Berger nodded and walked away. Bishop looked upon the remains of April's house and car. He was soon interrupted by April herself.

"Agent Bishop. Good to you keeping up the neighborhood watch" she quipped.

"Easy to keep watch when there's been a circus in town…too bad this one let loose its elephants, and I don't like clowns, so none of this is funny to me" Bishop replied

"Gee, It's a shame my site was pulled, I'd be covering one hell of a story…unknown element tears through helpless neighborhood, cops and firemen nowhere in sight, doesn't make for a very accommodating headline on their end does it? Or yours for that matter now you've gotten yourself involved"

"You needn't worry about us, so long as you keep to our little pact, and as so long as you disappear" Bishop continued

"Excuse me?" April said, folding her arms and looking ticked off.

"You think I haven't been connecting the dots? This ruckus happens in your neck of the woods so soon after we pull your scoop of the century? You've attracted quite a clan, including a clan we've been eyeing up for quite some time"

"This.. 'clan' have a name?" April asked

"Not your concern. You're going to prioritize yourself with picking the best places off island to settle down on, we'll handle the remainder of the arrangements, all you and your man-child have to be is quiet and complacent. No small task but I think you'll pull it off now you've gotten a scare as big as this" Bishop said confidently.

"So…just like that, you'll settle me somewhere off the grid, call me 'Robin'. and let me fly away with some kind tag on my leg? Leave you with some kind of hold over me?" April replied

"Leaning towards that being the plan, yes" Bishop responded

April didn't need to think twice

"Forget it" she said

"Christ, I don't think you'd prefer a death wish over the opportunities we can provide" Bishop said.

"I'm a New Yorker. This city is my blood. My family clawed their way up from nothing and built the world I lived in all my life. Something took that from me, and you want me to slither away while the real rattlesnakes coil around my home?"

"I can't guarantee your safety" Bishop said

"You haven't made many guarantees I'm comfortable with to start with" April pointed out

"So this is what you want? No help, and no occupation?" Bishop asked

"Always could land on my feet" April replied

"Be careful whose sandbox you're playing in kitten" Bishop said.

"I'll be careful" April assured him.

Bishop turned to leave. As he did, he bumped into Casey

"You. Stay out of trouble" he said

Casey pointed to himself and silently mouthed 'me", and shook his head, he motioned a 'hand on heart' action, Bishop said nothing further and continued walking back to his men.

"How's Gabby?" April said.

"Steady, I swear April, sometimes I think there's nothing that'll pop Junior out of her"

The two surveyed the damage

"What's the plan now?" Casey asked

April held up a suitcase.

"Gather as much of our stuff as we can fit into this and head east. We're moving"

"Knowing our budget, the motel choice is gonna suck" Casey remarked.

"We're not settling on a motel. We're going underground. C'mon"


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

Inside the Turtles' lair, the four of them and Splinter were being bombarded by a rant spewing from the lips of Irma regarding one of her ex-boyfriends

"…And I threw my shoes away and told him '_No, these are not made for walking'_, he said they were better "made for running", which was the last straw for me, nobody tells me to walk out of a date. He said something about participating in a marathon the following day, but I couldn't get past the insult…or was it an insult? Did I make a mistake? Oh shoot I probably did, but anyhow, that's how I cope with rejection, which came in handy when the NEXT suitor came calling…"

"…You are truly an unrestrained spirit Mss Langenstien" Splinter said, "Perhaps your testimony would best be spent in periods of more peaceful re-examination

"That sounds like really solid advice. I wish I had a sound understanding of it" Irma replied

"He's telling you to shut up lady" Raphael snapped.

"How one interprets the word of the wise is how the many conclusions are drawn" Splinter calmly spoke.

"Leave her alone Raph" Donatello added

"Thanks" Irma said, "Can I continue?"

"No" Donatello replied, "...By the way, if it makes you feel better, I remembered we left you back here, and I apologize nobody offered to take you"

"You're very gentlemanly...for a Martian" Irma responded with a touch of snark about her.

"Cut that out please" Donatello cautioned.

"Oh Donny boy, you're such a master to your mistress" Michelangelo joked.

"And you cut it out too, you've got not reason to be on cloud 9. Your plan was a disaster" Donatello lectured.

"I don't see what went wrong, that thing up and left" Michelangelo said defensively.

"Yeah, and why did it do that? It could've kept trying to pick us off and thrash the whole area, something got in his ear" Raphael said.

"A voice from above" Michelangelo replied in a booming voice and put his hands together in mock prayer. "Have we dared anger the gods?"

"You read too many comic books" Raphael pointed out.

"Guys, quiet…" Leonardo said as he picked up something coming from a close distance. The Turtles and Irma scrambled out of the lair and approached the exit tunnels, they looked down, it was April and Casey, who were holding a lot of luggage in their hands.

"Hey, It's me. Wanna give us a hand?" she said

"You led ANOTHER person down here?" Leonardo snapped

"That thing up there's the one who insulted me isn't it? The one in red" an annoyed Casey pointed out.

"Times like this I wish we all wore red. Just to mess with him" Raphael whispered to a sniggering Michelangelo

"What's this about April?" Leonardo said.

April climbed up the ladder and joined them in the tunnels above, Casey remained below, unable to climb up due to the amount of luggage obstructing his vision.

"…We're moving in" she said

"Excuse me?" Leonardo asked

"Alright" Michelangelo said, punching the air

"Please don't tell me the boyfriend is part of the deal" Raphael said

"This is insane" Donatello added

"I'll say. What's stopping you moving in with me April?" Irma asked

"Can't risk it. Whoever wants me on a platter could track us down and strike where you are too. This is the only place on short notice I can think of"

"A little help down here?" Casey yelled from below

"In a second honey" April yelled back.

"We must consult Master Splinter on this" Leonardo advised

"Oh that's a change. Not feeling up to threatening a girl this time schoolboy?" Raphael said.

"We barely know these people, why should we entertain ourselves with their company?" Leonardo asked

"You guys put your trust in me and let me into your world, you risked your neck to protect me three times. I owe you."

"I'm not sure about this..." Donatello said.

"I'll pay you rent" April replied

"I'm sold. They stay" Donatello declared.

"First things first" Michelangelo said, "Let's make you comfortable. I'll be your personal tour guide to the sights, the sounds, the smells…well, ok scratch the smells…although I don't think you could avoid that if your life depended on it, just know that I'm the right one to call if the weight of the world is too great for one person…"

"Guys...things, whatever...a little help?" said Casey.

"Raph, Don, help the man" Michelangelo instructed.

Raphael and Donatello stared at each other, shrugged, and descended the ladder to help Casey out.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Outside Saki's warehouse, the lamppost Bebop had been attached to lay outside, Bebop having been freed of it at last

But he would find much relief.

Inside, many uncanny noises could be heard from a series of cages. Monkeys, dogs, cats and even rhinos. Bebop was being tortured with a cattle prod and forced into a cell, Bebop nursed the wounded arm which had been embedded with one of Raphael's sais earlier. Blood trickled down from the open gash which remained unattended. He was being left to suffer.

Nearby, Rocksteady was putting up a valiant, but futile, struggle to avoid being placed in a cage with a lively rhino .

As soon as he was deposited into the cage, one of the underlings took a grey canister, opened the lid, revealing green liquid, and tossed it into the cage. They departed as Rocksteady began to sob, and eventually, scream. The rhino could be heard making noises of it's own

Elsewhere, within the main hub of the building, Saki was closely examining the bloodied sai, now removed from Bebop. He was approached by Conduit

"I've sent scans of the weapon to our source. He wanted a visual or he wasn't coming over tomorrow. He thinks we're trying to uproot him so we can deal him a blow" he said

"Given his asking prices, I'm not surprised" Saki said.

"Alternatively, he could be hiding something. I mean…he knows the kind of operation we're running, knows the beef you have with…you know…them, and knows about our adversary. it's pretty telling from the choice of weapons used that these guys are, well, COULD, be connected to all that. Just too big a coincidence you know." Conduit continued

"Everything reveals itself in time. Even if it requires a slight push.." Saki added

"Yeah, well if you ask me, something is pushing back" Conduit replied

Saki put the Sai down. He stared at a calendar and looked up a date set a few months from now. He checked up on a Monday, marked with a black X.

"We'll play it safe for now. When our source contacts us, I will inquire about the device he's set his sights on, he will examine what has been brought to us. And he will go and entertain himself with that. We will continue to prepare. Perhaps we need another 'bot or two as well, just for back-up"

"Speaking of which, we still haven't tracked down that guy we sent the 'bot after that night, and you know the 'bot didn't come home either, reckon those…whatever they were…got to him?

"Did he return home?" Saki asked

"Home has been in lockdown since that night. Noone's come in or out" Conduit explained

"Keep an eye on it" Saki said.

"You're the boss" Conduit responded.

Saki continued to look at the calendar and the allocated month.

**'**_**August**_**' **it read.


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

**TWO MONTHS LATER**

April got up from her sleeping mattress and quickly got changed before walking down the corridors to the main living area. In doing so, she walked past a punching bag. She thought back to the previous day, where Casey had been taking swift jabs at it, Gabrielle watching on yelling words of encouragement to him.

She also walked past Donatello's workshop, and, very curious to his day to day activities, peered inside to catch a glimpse of the Turtle at work.

Donatello was working on the dismantled remnants of the robot brought back by Raphael, utilizing some kind of probe, causing small metallic muscles to flex and move, the robot's severed head vibrated across the table, Donatello smiled and placed the probe into the head. Suddenly, there was a malfunction and the robot's head exploded.

Donatello looked on, he briefly sported a damp expression, but quickly flexed his fingers and examined the burning probe to find out what caused the malfunction.

April sighed, and even giggled a little, before moving up to the center of the lair, where a party had been held the night before.

April was like a ballerina that night, so full of grace and swaying from side to side, Raphael chimed in with his own unique dance moves, demonstrating complete "dad at a wedding" levels of co-ordination as he tried mimicking April's routine. He had lay flat on his shell and spun himself around, causing great laughter from April, Gabrielle, Casey, Irma and everyone else. Splinter was bopping his head up and down to the rhythm of the music also.

Leonardo, however, remained distant, and after Casey and Gabrielle took to the floor to join in, he took off down the corridor. April watched him go, her face was ripe with concern.

Flash forward to today, and her concern was still apparent. She decided to check on Leonardo, who was busy training, swinging his blades into thin air. He took on several defensive poses in them, his eyes focused and fixated, his face steeled in regards to emotion.

Sensing his routine wasn't about to be disrupted, April crouched down on the floor and motioned to put on the television when she spotted a fresh newspaper that had been picked up by Raphael earlier in the morning. The page read **'AUTUMN ARRIVES, O'NEIL NOWHERE IN SIGHT-SIGHTINGS OF INTERNET JOURNALIST DRY UP AFTER HOME TRAGEDY IN JUNE'**

April smiled and reached for a blue book pearched on the sofa. It was some kind of journal, she browsed past a couple of recent entries, she grabbed a nearby pen and reading glasses from the same sofa, and began to write.

…_Tuesday the 22__nd__. My life is over according to some local papers._

_Many have come forward with their own opinions on the matter. Friends speak out of concern and support, enemies speak of the evils of my profession and how they came back to "bite me" and ruin my handsome home, they use my name as a cautionary tale. A warning to others not to peer down the rabbit hole. If only they knew the wonderland we've stumbled on. It's like nothing I can describe._

_Casey's taken this harder than I have. I think it's come down to feelings of inadequacy. Like I was his call to duty, his job was to protect me from the bad and the ugly, and lately he's found himself so…powerless. I insisted he pay house calls to Gabrielle n the meantime and get out of the lair as often as possible. She's taken all of this incredibly well, she shows a sense of wisdom and tolerance I don't think anyone would expect of her caliber of character ._

_To help Casey sharpen his focus, we both encouraged him to finally put himself into the boxing program held at the local church. He's made the most of what's available down here get into shape…that's right, we're pretty well accommodated where we are. We owe that to the keen interests of our landlords._

_If anyone is reading this in the future…I'm not about to tell you what's going on here. I owe my friends their privacy, you won't know them by nature, all you will know of them is through character. Through vitality. Through spirit._

_How best would I describe them? They're…troubled, they're reflective, they're…wild. They are youth. Some of them like to think they're older than they act, and that's fine, that happens with all of us at that age, but others in the pack embrace their adolescence_

_The older ones indulge in certain hobbies and habits that go beyond what us normal folks would consider "beyond their realm of possibility". Take Donatello for example, pretty tame combatant, but has a keen mind for machines, always wanting to know what causes things to tick_…_though sometimes he tends to overstep his boundaries. Still, it's the try that counts where he's concerned, and even after a major malfunction, he shrugs it off and gets back on track. A real workaholic._

_..Unlike Raphael. So far off-the tracks, yet keeps our morale in motion_

_Leonardo is a courageous and admirable leader type, he keeps the guys together in moments where they feel lost and confused_,_ out of respect for him they rise to the occasion, he is dedicated to his studies, and is fiercely protective of what he calls his home…too fierce at times. Out of all four I think he's the one that needs to sharpen his focus on more delicate matters than training. Raphael is always trying to get something out of him…I can't imagine what it is, but maybe it wouldn't hurt Leo to try and give him, to let others into his world, even just a tiny fragment of it._

_And then there's Michelangelo. Mike._…_He's a challenge._

"Boo" said Michelangelo as he covered both of April's eyes with his right hand

April struggled to remove the hands, turned around and greeted him with a cheeky smile

"Hi" she said

"What'cha writing?" Michelangelo asked.

"Stories. About you. Me. The others. This wild dream of ours" April said

"So this isn't real yet?" Michelangelo replied

"It's as real as you want it to be" April assured him

She spotted something behind his back in his left hand.

"What have you got there? It better be lunch" she said

"Thought I'd be a good sport" Michelangelo replied

He produced an American football.

"You spent the money I gave you on this?" she said

"Hey, it's a special day, people should be romping and stomping in the great outdoors, a bit of physicality with this thing is just the ticket" Michelangelo responded.

April found a note attached to the ball, she opened it. It read _'best birthday wishes...Mike'_

"Who's birthday is it?" April said

"Uptown girl" Michelangelo replied

"I'm flattered, but you're like five months late on mine" April responded

"Oh it's not you" Michelangelo said

April folded her arms in a huff.

"Really now?" she said

"Thought you'd like to meet her" he said

"Oh you bet I would" she said

"Great. Rummage around in your bag and get out the half bar of chocolate you got stashed, her teddy bear loves a bit of candy" Michelangelo replied

"Teddy bear? I never imagined you'd be described that way.." April added

"No, I meant her_ actual_ teddy bear. She can't stand chocolate, but she pretends her bear does. The other kids mock her a bit for it, really wish they wouldn't do that, she's just having fun" Michelangelo continued.

"Kids?" April said, finally, it dawned on her what he was referring to

"This...girl's a kid?" she said. Michelangelo nodded

"Mike, what is this about?" she asked

"I want to show you something, but we gotta move fast, Leo can't know where we're going" he said

He then took April's reading glasses off and put them on his own face

"How can you read with these things?" he said

"I don't need them, they're meant to make me look sophisticated" April replied

"Trying to impress someone?" Michelangelo asked

"Is it working?" April slyly quipped.

"C'mon, let's get going" Michelangelo said, taking the glasses off and heading towards the exit

"Wait, how did you know I have chocolate in my bag?" April said

"Come on" he said

"Ok, ok" April replied, and got up to join him.


	34. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR**

Michelangelo ascended the ladder leading to a topside man-hole, as soon as he removed the man-hole, he saw Zach and his friends peering down, awaiting his arrival. Michelangelo had sent out a text letting them know where to rendezvous using a new phone Zach had bought him.

As Michelangelo's friends helped pull him out of the hole, they found themselves having great difficulty in doing so.

"You're getting fricking heavy Mike. Cut down on the fucking calories already" Zach snapped, "We've actually started taking bets on how many you put on"

They heard a sneeze from beneath them

"What was that?" Zach said

"I've brought another surprise along . April? April it's ok, you can come up" Michelangelo said, and reached into the hole to pull April up as she climbed out.

"Hi everyone" April said

"Woah, he keeps girls down there too?" one of Zach's friends said

"I'm a little too young for these sort of services Mike" Zach responded.

"Cut it out, she's a reporter" Michelangelo replied

"Oh, I see, she found out about you and you're holding her hostage" Zach remarked

"Or they're on a date" added Claire, their female friend.

"Gross" one of the boys said

"There you are Claire" Michelangelo said, handing her the football, her birthday present

"Great, Vern will love this" Claire said

"Vern?" Michelangelo said

"It's the name of her new bear" one of the boys said, "She got it today, she's acting more like it's HIS birthday than her own"

"Hey, making something else feel special is what you guys do with me all the time" Michelangelo added, standing up for Claire.

"Yeah, but you're real" the boy replied.

"Anything you put your mind to comes to life little guy" Michelangelo continued

"…So all of you are…comfortable with this?" April asked

"Mike saved our tails from a riot some months back." Zach answered.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember blogging about that, several children were trapped in a church that had been barricaded from the outside, they all got out eventually through forcing their way out of the back entrance, which looked like it'd been split like a banana. No one could figure how the kids had the strength to pull that off, and the kids weren't about to tell them"

She turned to Michelangelo.

"...I was feeling down that day, went there to think" Michelangelo confessed

"I was right to trust in you guys. This just confirms it" she said, and kissed Michelangelo on the cheek, "Thank you"

"We didn't tell anyone, we didn't think we'd be believed anyway" Zach continued, "We've been fast friends ever since, we've fed him, taught him about all the things we like to do, shown him all kinds of movies, even taught him to plan out and build things."

"That's where the skate ramp comes from down in the lair? You clever thing" April said

"I still want to come down there and try it" the boy said

"No can do bud, you know the golden rule, If I'm within the sound of a certain someone's voice up here, I'm toast" Michelangelo explained

"I'm surprised the others have never followed you" April said

"Yeah, they're gonna have to be quick as a cat to catch up with THIS Turtle…" Michelangelo boasted. Suddenly, a familiar voice yelled from the sewer below, calling his name.

"Uh-oh" Michelangelo said

" That sounds like/…Leo" April said

"April? You up there too? The pair of you get back down here now" the voice instructed

"Alright, there's more of them" the boy said, ecstatic. Michelangelo looked disheartened.

"Gotta go guys. Believe it or not, THAT one's the boss" he said

"Does that mean you won't be coming back?" Zach asked

Michelangelo looked at him with a distant and fearful expression

"I don't know" he said

"We'll be waiting. Know that" Zach assured him. Michelangelo rubbed his hand in Zach's hair.

"That's my bud" he said

Michelangelo and April descended down the hold, the kids all huddled around it with gloom expressions.

"He sounds pretty mad" April said as she threw an arm around Michelangelo's shoulder and walked back along the tunnels.

"Relax, just how steamed can he be?" Michelangelo said

Soon enough, they found their way back blocked by Leonardo, with a sour and increasingly disappointed look on his face.

"Yeah. This is a steam room right about now" Michelangelo remarked.


	35. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE**

Back home, Michelangelo was seated on the couch, April, Casey, Donatello, and Raphael all beside him. Leonardo was pacing back and forth, giving him a stern interrogation

"What were you thinking? Were you thinking at all?" he said

"Sorry" Michelangelo replied

"And is this where you got your obsession with that stupid spy movie? What else were they showing you up there? What did they poison your mind with?"

"Sorry" Michelangelo repeated.

"And what if they had adults with them? What if their parents were going to look for them?"

"Sorry" Michelangelo continued

"What if they had gotten the stupid urge to follow you?" Leonardo rattled on

April had heard enough and wrapped her arms around Michelangelo, comforting him

"Leave him alone Leo, he gets it" she said.

"Yeah Leo, I go topside all the time, and are you forgetting the time of day me and Don met April to begin with?" Raphael chimed in.

"Adults are one thing. Children are another, they're delicate" Leonardo said

"And you'd know all about that?" Raphael asked

"Raph, come on, don't go there with Leo..." Donatello said

"Is he going to do something about it?" Raphael continued

"You truly do lack a heart don't you?" Leonardo remarked.

"Can't blame me for having a grip on reality, all while you prefer to lock up a view of the world to play happy homestead" Raphael snapped back

"I feel like I don't know any of you anymore. You've all slipped from my control" Leonardo assessed.

"This is about control now? We're EIGHTEEN, we're well past the age to be leashed, that's how it works up there" Raphael replied

"That is not our way. We are not them" Leonardo insisted.

"No offence Leo…but that's just not true." Donatello added, interrupting him,"Master Splinter taught us things that humans developed and practiced over whole centuries, even the code of conduct you carry. We've all picked up various traits perfected by that race. I've never been exactly sure why, but I do have a theory as to…"

"…Don't bother me with it." Leonardo replied sternly.

"Hey, Einstein has a point, Splinter always told you a good leader listens" Raphael added

"I'm no leader. I'm failing, I'm letting you all down, just like I let…"

He stopped in mid-sentence, looked into the distance, and walked away.

"Raph, go to him, he's in pain" April requested

"Oh no, I'm not bringing THIS one up…" Raphael said

"Bring WHAT up?" April asked

"Sorry" Michelangelo repeated

"I'll talk to him" Casey said, volunteering

"You sure?" April asked

"Hey, I gotta remind your pals here I exist" Casey remarked.

He went off after Leonardo, the remaining four in the room tried their best to enjoy a brief and awkward silence.

"Does anyone want to hear my theory?" Donatello asked

"Nah" said Raphael.


	36. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX**

Splinter had been out for a stroll across the vast sewage network tunnels. He hummed a soothing tune to himself.

All of a sudden, he picked up something. His ears began to twitch. He tilted his head to the right as he heard the sound of grinding and a loud stomp echoed nearby. He tried picking up a scent with his nose.

Hearing the sounds get closer, he ducked behind a wall and scaled up it, hiding in the pipes above. The uncanny sounds were soon given actual form, as a large contingent of robotic contraptions turned right and marched through the tunnel. The creatures resembled the small robot April had discovered months earlier, the robot that had inspired Donatello to reach out and contact her, here they were now in their hundreds.

Splinter observed the robots as they teemed past him, his eyes trained on the center, eyeing up an opening, preparing to strike. Splinter, walking stick gripped in his teeth, clasped it with both hands, clinging on to the pipes by the tips of his long toes.

Then, with a sudden moment of precise calculation, Splinter descended and thrust his stick into the back of one of the robots, there was a shower of sparks that danced across Splinter, yet he remained unphased.

The creature's legs ceased to function, but it remained very much alive. It's head bopped up and down and twisted around in maverick directions, it was in a confused state

Splinter watched the remaining robots go, they completely ignored the event that had unfolded and continued to pour down the tunnels and eventually out of sight.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

In Michelangelo's room, he and April were sharing a pizza. Michelangelo spotted a small rubber ball on the floor and began to play catch with it, bouncing it off the wall and grabbing it when it came back to him

"Well THAT went well didn't it?" he said, breaking the silence that had haunted the last few minutes.

"Relax, I'm sure Leo has his heart in the right place" April said

"We all know what his heart was attached, and thirteen years ago that got attached to something else..."

"I don't follow" April replied

"Long story and I wasn't there for it" Michelangelo said

"I'd rather talk to you. Got a question to ask" April continued

"Fire away" Michelangelo said

"You guys ever get lonely down there?"

"Us lone rangers? You tonto?"

April laughed, and playfully hit Michelangelo on the shoulder.

"I'm serious, and before you say you have the kids, I'll be a little clearer...four guys, Male. Teenagers. You ever...think about the heavy stuff...y'know"

"You sure you don't want to trade Turtles on this ? Raph can tell you stories, but Leo is a crack at the deep stuff " Michelangelo said

"Yeah but I'm putting you on the spot here. C'mon. Surprise me. You've done a good job so far" April continued

"I have?" Michelangelo said

"I'm a good observer. You dance while everyone else sits still. You're wrapped up in wise cracks, you read the funny pages in newspapers, you're willing to risk yourself out in public to make children happy. You're very worldly Mike, I think you're the best qualified to talk a little about how you guys view yourselves going forward on this planet."

Michelangelo scratches his head, not sure how to take in this complimentary analysis of his characteristics. April smiled, and took another bite of Pizza

"So shoot. What is it you want out of life?"

"I guess….um…wow…I-well, the easy things ought to come first. Recognition obviously, this is a mug that _belongs_ on a cereal box. It'd be great to have a fan club, I could give guided tours of the old homestead, stay in and watch a few movies, entertain the kids, and then…"

"..Then?" April urged him on.

"…Ah it's silly. Impossible" Michelangelo said in a defeatist tone.

"You guys are walking impossibilities. Give your dreams a chance" she said.

There was a pause. Michelangelo stared into the distance, smiled, and turned back to April.

"…I want to settle down, not just have an odd, fun little fling. I want a real relationship. A real window on the world y'know? Someone who doesn't judge you on color or appearance, who'll accept you for what you are. Like I said…impossible. Who'd have the nerve to stick their neck out for me forever?"

"We live in very taboo times Mike. We indulge in things that the eyes of regular society find questionable. Degrading. Blasphemous if you're religious. But the people they look down on…the people they reject…for better or for worse, don't care what anyone thinks, they stay true to themselves."

April placed a hand on Michelangelo's shoulder.

"Your desires? The fact you want to be loved? That's the most normal thing anyone can ever think, and if someone lucky enough to know you wants to give you what you deserve, they should take their cues from the misfits that exist on the fringes of this change-fearing world and go with their gut, because you've mor than earned their trust, respect, and more."

"That's deep. Really deep" Michelangelo commented.

"Never swim in the shallow end Mike" April said

She turned to her laptop nearby and clicked on an MP3 file, a track called "_If There Was Man_", as it began playing, she urged Michelangelo to join her in a dance session.

"C'mon, I haven't tried this with you yet…"

The two slowly began to waltz around the room

"April?" Michelangelo said

"Yeah?" April said

"..Is this real yet?"


	37. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN**

In his room, Leonardo was quietly brooding to himself. Casey knocked on the wall, alerting him to his presence.

"Hey, it's me" he said

"Leave me alone" Leonardo replied

"Yeah, I think we do enough of that already, and you don't exactly become the life of party that way"

"Life is no party" Leonardo continued

"Tell that to the others" Casey added

"Just what is it you want?" Leonardo asked

"A little insight" Casey answered, "Based on how I've seen you act, you're the lean, green version of me from a few months back when me and April first crashed down here. I couldn't get it into my head how these two worlds of ours could care let alone collide, now I'm warming to the notion. You? You're still cold about it, and I don't think that's just because nature intends it"

"I tire of this belief I am cold to anyone" Leonardo snapped back "I have raised concerns for I myself am concerned. Everyone's so eager to embrace what the world can give, that none of them truly wants to remember what this world has taken away. One of us has to carry that memory, so we're all cautioned, so that none of us will ever be lost in the same way"

"Maybe they've just decided to let go of that memory…let go of the past. Like all of us have to. Surely you can open up about this"

"…Maybe you DO need to understand…maybe if you do, you'll side with me." Leonardo rationalized.

"I'm all ears" Casey said, leaning his head on the wall

With a heavy sight, Leonardo conceded to Casey's wishes.

"Alright. I'll tell you" he replied.

**FIFTEEN YEARS AGO**

Four of the young Turtles were playing a game of catch in the tunnels , Leonardo gingerly walked behind the scrambling group, he was holding in his arms an ordinary Turtle, the fifth member of the group that had been unaffected by the green substance that had transformed the remainder several years earlier.

_Even as a youngling, I kept to myself a lot. I didn't let anyone in except my master…our father. It must have been difficult for him all those years, managing all those combustible elements…forces as wild as nature. Most of us igniting the sewers, our energy as white hot as summer, but I remained as still as an autumn leaf._

The young Raphael ran up to Leonardo and tapped him on the shoulder. Leo shied away, taking a few steps back. Raphael folded his arms, annoyed. He spotted the regular Turtle. He tagged IT. Leonardo gave him a dirty look. Raphael shrugged and gave him a cheeky smile. Leonardo walked away. Raphael sulked and opted to chase after a boundless and energetic Michelangelo instead.

_Everyone tried to get me to join in, look to the middle of the road…_

Leonardo walked up to a ladder, he stared up. Above him, he could see a manhole…a portal to the world topside.

…_but I was always looking __upwards._

As the young Turtles began to grow tired of their play and huddled around each other for a group sleep. Splinter smiled at the students and gently patted a slumbering Donatello on the head . He nestled down beside them and drifted off the sleep himself. All was quiet and still...

_One day. One… __foolish…__day. I broke away from the pact, I went above ground._

Young Leonardo's eyes popped open. He grabbed the smaller Turtle, crawling across a snoring Raphael, and made his way to where he had been earlier, climbed up the ladder, and opened the manhole.

_I went to where the stars came out._

Once topside, Leonardo stared at the beautiful night sky/. He was mesmerized the sight. He held up the smaller Turtle so it could share in the view

Suddenly…he heard a series of loud noise and frantic intakes of breath. Sensing danger, he ducked behind a large dumpster and peered around it as a man, in a cream lab coat ran around the corner and into the alley way, he was pursued by a man in a ragged, half-torn coat, with a hideously tattered purple scarf draped around the neck, the man in the lab coat resigned himself to his fate when he realized he had nowhere to go. The ragged man grabbed his victim and pinned him against the wall. The young Leonardo watched on.

"Last chance to talk. Where did they go?" the man said.

"Off the grid, that's all I was given in the paperwork…" his victim replied

"Nothing as big as them can just vanish like that, people on the circuit MUST still know something. Tell me the truth…" the stalker pressed on.

"I don't have what you want" the victim insisted

"Then I will take what I want from you" the attacker continued

"I have no knowledge of the matter" the victim continued, pleading for his life

"Knowledge isn't what I intend to take…" the ragged man said, and raised his right hand to reveal a sharp metal dagger attached to his wrist.

"No, no please" the victim said.

_I shouldn't have tried anything, but a part of me remembered the savagery I witnessed on the day I was transformed. I had seen true malice and the devil given form that night…out of some hot-headed loyalty to my father, I opted to tempt hell this one time_

Leonardo put both hands on the dumpster, and charged it towards the ragged man. The dumpster struck him. sending him reeling. Leonardo tried to make himself scarce. As he rushed away, he was spotted by the woukd-be victim. Leonardo cheekily put a finger to his lips, urging the man to keep quiet.

The man, perplexed by what he has seen, just nodded and followed Leonardo out of the alley. When he exited it however, the strange creature who saved him was nowhere to be seen. He looked around…no sight of him. He looked back into the alley and found his attacker stirring. He made good his escape, he rushed past one of the tipped over trashcans, little realizing young Leonardo was hiding inside of it.

As the man left, Leonardo breathed a sigh of relief, only to discover his pet Turtle was missing. He scrambled for it in desperation, but couldn't find it. He peered back into the alley, and finds, to his horror, that the Turtle was still there, and, worse was in direct path of the ragged man, who was incensed at losing his quarry.

Leonardo was frozen. He couldn't risk being spotted this time. He could only watch as the ragged man made eye contact with the little Turtle. His expressions, hidden away by the tattered scarf, were expressed through the sheer maliciousness in his eyes.

He walked over to the Turtle, and, with one swift lift of his shoe, brought down the full weight of it onto the creature, crushing it to death. He then walked out of the alley. Leonardo scampered back into the trashcan as the ragged man approached.

After the ragged man slipped away into the still and quiet streets, Leonardo ran back into the alley to inspect the damage. What once was a lively, slow but gentle creature was now a mess of barely recognizable goo. Leonardo gathered as much of the solid chunks of the trodden corpse as possible and nursed them in his hands. Tears welled up in his eyes. He stared up at the stars.

_I blamed all the wrong things that night as I sat there. The stars for drawing my attention, the victim I had saved for getting into his situation, even my master for not preparing us more thoroughly. It took me some time, some amount of growth, before I settled on the easiest to blame: Myself. My lack of insight. I wanted to see the world, and I knew nothing of how it worked…until that night. Until I lost __her._

" "Her?"…the Turtle…it was a girl?" Casey asked as Leonardo concluded his recollection.

"Venus. Her name was Venus" he finished.

The two were swiftly interrupted by an excited Donatello.

"…Guys, hate to break up the bonding, but Master Splinter's back. He's brought us something"


	38. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT**

In Donatello's lab, Splinter had deposited the partially moving robotic creature on the workshop table. The Turtles, Splinter, April, Casey, and Irma were all gathered around it

"This is it. This is the robot I found. It's a match for the one the feds took from me" April said, recognizing it.

"The fish that still seeks a river will not drown on dry land" Splinter cryptically uttered.

"And that means…what?" Raphael asked.

"He means he didn't destroy it or render it powerless" Donatello replied, "Look, it's still functioning, and if these little blinks and this electronic map on its back are to be believed, It appears to be following some kind of homing signal and route"

"So by keeping it alive, you think you can work out where it actually came from?" Irma asked

"If I can bring it back to full 'health' so to speak, I won't have to work anything out, we'll just follow it to its destination." Donatello replied

He pointed to the small map, particularly at a red dot. Just a few meters above it was a field of yellow dots/

"See? The red dot is meant to be this unit, the remaining dots are the ones that have made it home. All we have to do is repair its motor functions and let it go on its merry way" Donatello suggested

"I don't know about this" Leonardo said with a touch of hesitation.

"C'mon Leo, it'll help April out with her story. She's been trailing the weirdoes behind these things for months now" Michelangelo added.

"And the sooner I get any kind of answer to what's been going on, I can set about taking parts of my life back, and nobody will have any leverage to keep me where they want to keep me. I can move out and about the world again" April said

"Really?" Michelangelo said, sounding a little disappointed. April clasped his hand in hers.

"Oh Mike. You guys have been so kind to me, but I have an obligation to the world, to tell it the truth so it can learn to function with a sense of honesty it really lacks. The story, no matter how dangerous the sources surrounding are, has to be told to it. It's the honorable thing to do. You guys are all about that aren't you?"

"Oh she's using your favorite word Leo" Raphael taunted.

Leonardo ignored him and turned to Splinter

"Master? What do we do?" Leonardo asked

"Our world, the shadows, have power, but many can play God with it besides us. Life depends on what we can and cannot risk in our pursuit of our safeguarding of heart and home…family, and friends" Splinter said

"He's right. Wherever these things come from, their creators may branch out and stumble on our dwelling, endangering us all, including those under our care. To protect our lair, we must know theirs" Leonardo said, and turned to Donatello

"Let it lead the way" he instructed

"I'm on top of things. While I'm at it, can I interest you in a few little gimmicks I came up with from working on the older models?" Donatello asked excitedly

"Stick to the task and not your hobbies" Raphael remarked.

Donatello became a little downhearted at the notion no one wanted to hear about his other projects, but he swallowed the bitter pill and did as instructed.

Everyone, with the exception of one, walked out of the lab to allow the Turtle peace to get on with his work. The one remaining, Irma, pulled up a chair and stared at him, and gave him a thumbs up. Donatello smiled and set about repairing the robot.


	39. Chapter 39

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE**

Inside a brightly lit control room, a gigantic monitor displayed a vast three-dimensional map of the entire subterranean New York Sewer System. A small drawing of an eye-ball was situated north of the map, where several bright dots had converged.

One dot, however, a few miles from the point of convergence, lay still, and blinked in and out of the screen.

"Maxwell?" said a female voice

"Hmm?" came a loud hum from an obese male next to her.

"The missing unit still hasn't budged" she said

"Damaged?" Maxwell asked/

"Can't really tell from its readings…seems pretty stable on this end…and it's still active, it's just…stopped"

"Well we can't leave it on can we? If it's stuck, it needs to be turned off, otherwise someone's going to get wise to it like that reporter woman. See to it will you?"

"Nevermind sir, it seems to be on the move again" the female noted

"Splendid. Open the door for it when it gets here

Somewhere down the tunnel, the robot was back on its two legs, power walking to its home base. Behind it were all four Turtles plus April and Casey. Raphael had his arm slung over Donatello's shoulder while Michelangelo shook him a little, rubbing the top of his head, all of them were jubilant that Donatello's hard work had paid off for them

The unit stopped dead at a large, heavily fortified door at the north of the hub. The Turtles examined it, Raphael knocked on the door.

"Pretty stern stuff" Raphael said.

"I think I've passed this before...never gave it too much thought" Leonardo said.

"The readings on the unit show a large convergence of dots pinpointing to this spot" Donatello explained

"How do we get in?" April asked

"Dude, let the little guy do all the work for us" Michelangelo suggested.

The unit walked up to a small circular spot at the lower end of the door. The circle opened and an infra-red lens began scanning it. Approving of its presence, the hole closed up and there was a loud hum as the main door rose up before everyone's eyes.

The Turtles, April and Casey followed the unit through the door and into a darkly lit corridor, leading to a brightly lit entranceway. They made their way towards the light.

However, watching them from a control room were the female and Maxwell.

"What in the name of…" she said as she spotted the intruders, her hand came down on the switch that activated the loudspeakers on the intercom

"Call security" she said

Inside the corridor, the Turtles picked up on this.

"Is there a fire in here?" Michelangelo asked

"I think so, only we're fanning the flames" Raphael replied, pulling out his sais

"At arms guys" he said

"No" Leonardo said.

"No?" Raphael asked, confused.

"Whatever world we've stepped into, it's theirs, they're probably just protecting what's theirs" Leonardo explained

"And we have to protect what's ours. Something's gotta give Leo." Raphael said

"Which is precisely why we're giving up" Leonardo said

"Don, talk to him" Raphael demanded.

"He's right" Donatello replied

"I'll take full responsibility for putting you guys up to this. This is my story" April said

Leonardo nodded, and gave Raphael another glance. Raphael let out a defeatist sigh and put his sais away.

"Everyone put their hands behind their heads" Michelangelo suggested

The Turtles looked at him funny.

"It's what they do in the movies" he said

Leonardo motioned for the Turtles to follow Michelangelo's examples. April and Casey joined in too. Michelangelo lead the way and all six of them walked through the brightly lit entrance.

"Whoever you dudes are, we want to make it clear we come in..." Michelangelo said aloud, but before he could finish, he froze, in awe at what he saw on the other side of the corridor.

A busy, energetic heavily equipped scientific research hive. A facility built for one thing: Business.

The large inner chamber was divided into sub-sections represented by clear glass cubicles. Various gadgets were on display, some half-finished, some being tested out, such as small rubber balls that exploded into several smaller balls when bounced off a table, a fortified steel water thank that, when drained of its fluids, set off a bomb inside of it, and a key that, when inserted into a lock ,triggered a laser targeting system. A shot rang out of the inserted key and tears through a nearby crash dummy.

Flying overhead were miniature cameras attached to a tiny remote controlled jet.

"Donny, come over here" Michelangelo said

" …What?" Donatello replied

"This is more your area. I'm giving my jaw-dropping privileges to you" Michelangelo remarked

"Noted" Donatello said, and allowed his jaw to drop.

"Guys, look out" April said as security teams attired in all black and grey storm trooper gear poured out of a staircase leading to a lower level of the chamber, they were heavily armed with machine guns. They surrounded the six.

"Hands are in the air dudes…I've saved you a couple of lines already." Michelangelo said.


	40. Chapter 40

**CHAPTER FORTY**

**"**We don't want to hurt anyone" Leonardo said as the Storm Troopers anxiously kept their weapons trained on the six intruders.

"Shut up" snapped one of them sternly. He talked through a communication device attached to his right

"Sir, sights set on intruders. Awaiting further orders" he said.

"We'll sort this out when they're not so evenly matched. Take their weapons" the voice instructed

April was quick to recognize it.

"Is that...? It is..." she said, and gracefully walked over to the Storm Trooper

"Woah, keep your hands up babe, no need to be causing a radical revolution" Michelangelo yelled

"Be careful April" said Donatello

"Alright Bishop, you can calm your nerves. It's me"

"O'Neil?" said the voice.

The Storm Trooper became more assertive "Stay where you are and don't move"

"Oh you bet I'm not moving. I've only gotten what I spent months looking for, no way am I turning 'round and leaving it behind now" April remarked

"I said shut up" the Storm Trooper continued

"Hey, don't talk to her like that" Casey chimed in

"Relax, I got this..." April said, and proceeded to yell at the top of her voice, to the point the researchers all stopped work and peered out of their cubicles to marvel at the spontaneous scene unfolding in their midst.

"What's it gonna be Bishop?" April hollered, "You've tried everything to cage this bird and I've flown straight into your nest, you going to clip my wings? 'Cause if you do, I don't think you'll get on the bright side of my friends here, did I mention they saved me and my boyfriend from the assholes who ripped the neighborhood apart?"

There was a brief pause, before finally the voice picked up again.

"Make sure they don't move, I'm coming down" instructed Bishop

"Yes sir" the trooper said, and pointed at April menacingly with his gun

"You heard him" he said.

"I think the important thing to remember here…is he heard ME" April said.

Bishop came out of the same stairwell the security team had emerged from. At his side was a slightly balding overweight man with ginger hair at the sides. He was wearing spectacles, and sported a "World's Largest Virgin" T-Shirt underneath a lab coat, he was eating chocolate

Bishop eyed up April and Casey

"Ms. O'Neil, Mr. Jones"

He turned his attention to the Turtles.

"…And what's the story here?" he said, grabbing Michelangelo's cheeks with both hands

"Ow, let go" Michelangelo said. Bishop reeled back

"That's real " he said, previously being certain it was a mask and amazed to be proven wrong.

"FOR Real" Michelangelo remarked

"What's going on here?" Bishop said.

"Bishop, meet my Turtles" April beamed proudly

"They're a little too big to be domestic pets O'Neil" Bishop commented

"At least we were there for her Mr. 'Missed a call of duty'" Raphael said

"You have a lip. Great" Bishop observed. "The more of the mouth I get, the longer the hours spent in a quiet cell"

"Just try to shut me up" Raphael said. Bishop grinned, and looked to Leonardo

"How about you Huh? What do you make of yourselves? Who are you?" he asked

"We are shadows" Leonardo replied

"Really now? Green is the new black right?" Bishop replied, and turned back to his men

"Take them to the cells" he instructed

"Wait" said the obese man

"What for Maxwell?" said Bishop

"Mutants" Maxwell replied, "They're mutants, I know it"

"Is he being racist?" Raphael asked

"Are you..." Maxwell began, briefly pausing before continuing, he fiddled with his fingers apprehensively, "Call this a crazy hunch, but...you're obviously Turtles, what age are you?"

"Eighteen" Michelangelo said

"Eighteen. Right. Turtles. Do one thing for me" Maxwell asked

"Name it" Michelangelo replied

"Do something physical. Now…it could be anything,, go with what you know, go with what comes _instinctively _to you" Maxwell said.

"Right, step back my man!" Michelangelo said, and swiftly exhibited a series of martial arts moves for Maxwell., His eyes widened and his face lit up, he put his hands together and clapped

"AMAZING! TURTLES. TEENAGE. MUTANT. NINJA. TURTLES!" he yelled in triumph

"Can I get that trademarked?" Michelangelo asked

"Still thinking about that cereal box Mike?" April joked.

"Bring on the perks" Michelangelo replied, and the two exchanged a high-five

"Move aide sir, we'll escort them to the cells" said the leading Storm Trooper.

"Cells? Heavens not. They're honored guests" Maxwell said

"How do you figure?" Bishop replied

"Because they belong to this place Bishop. We created them" Maxwell said.

"Created us?" Donatello asked

"You four belonged to Teng-Shen didn't you?"

"Teng-Shen? That name…it triggers something in my mind…" Leonardo uttered

"Yeah. it's giving my brain a bit of a kick too…" Raphael added

"I've long had theories about our origins, how we had the capacity to grasp our skills, we had to have had deliberate and immediate awareness of how to pick up on defensive tactics…that name is already answering a lot of questions" Donatello replied

April leaned over to Michelangelo, who shed a small tear, she put her arm around him

"Mike, what is it? Tell me" April said

"It's like...we're remembering our mom. It's beautiful" Michelangelo said.

Leonardo walked over to Maxwell.

"Who are you?" he said, coldly, "And what is this place"

"Gentle…things…welcome" Maxwell said

"You don't have to call us things, we ARE bona-fide males" Raphael added

"Oh well, that's alright then. Gentlemen….Welcome...to The Technodrome" Maxwell exclaimed.


	41. Chapter 41

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE**

"Techno-what?" Raphael asked in response to Maxwell's revelation, scratching his head trying to even pronounce it mentally in his head.

"Technodrome. Initially it was TechnoDOME but we decided to go beyond that. Get it? BEYOND TECHNODOME? Never mind, I hate myself"

He extended his hand in formal friendship.

"Maxwell Hudson. Head of U.T.R.O.M operations here" he said

"U.T.R.O.M?" Donatello asked

"U.T.R.O.M: **U**nified **T**rained **R**esearchers **O**f **M**utations" Maxwell explained

A man walked past him

"Weirdoes for short"

"Shut up Graves" Maxwell hissed, before resuming his welcoming grin again. Graves walked off, checking something off a list.

"Don't mind him. He's in charge of our rodent research wing. He gets covered head to toe in their business and breeding. It really embitters him. We call him 'Rat King The Second' for kicks. Cool huh?"

"You really DO hate yourself don't you?" Raphael remarked

"An underground science facility…hidden under everyone's noses, including ours" Leonardo said, trying to take it all in

"We've been down here for about eighteen years now, the same span of time you've been born. We used to be topside. Life was good" Maxwell began, his mind drifting back off to happier times

"We had been developing projects almost no one had heard of yet, they were amongst the best kept secrets. Existing only in rumor, but we liked it that way. Mind you, It gained us plenty of enemies within the government. At first there were only a few voices spreading dissidence…but then those voices came into positions of power, some through manipulation, others through rotten honest political ascension. Eventually, we went from being "flavor of the month" to being seen as a top liability. We were the men that dared to play with God's fire…what right did we have they asked?"

His remembered a large cargo lorry driving through the fortified gates of the TGRI complex they worked at.. It was late evening. Just about everyone was inside working on perfecting strains of mutagen and other military hardware. In another half-hour or so, the alarm was raised, and they emerged to find a horrific sight.

"And if we were indeed, playing God, then someone decided to send agents of The Devil" Maxwell continued, remembering finding the corpses of some of his fellow researchers, Teng-Shen and Hamato Yoshi, with a whole supply of mutagen leaking from punctured canisters on the back of the supply truck.

"Yeah...I think we know how this one ends" Donatello said, "It's hard to forget what happens on your birthday"

"Yes, it makes sense...you lot were missing, and the mutagen strain was spilling onto the ground, you obviously were drenched in it and wandered off, where it slowly took effect" Maxwell correctly assessed, "This really is remarkable, what are the odds?"

"Just tell us what happened next" Leonardo said

"Yes…yes of course. Forgive me. Not every day your past produces such….fascinating results" Maxwell said, he took his glasses off and polished them a bit with a small handkercheif found in his right pocket

"After word got out about that incident, there was one hell of a fuss upstairs. After days of debate and political wrangling, we were spared a permanent shutdown of our divisions, on the condition we disappear…go underground and do some…cosmetic touch ups on the city from time to time."

"Meaning the demolition jobs?" Donatello pointed out. Maxwell put his glasses back on.

"Oh I wouldn't call them that…well…fine, yeah, that's what anyone without a high opinion of themselves call them, we tend to think of the tasks as opportunities to test out things that can prove useful in the field. We're hoping our "Mousers" will eventually catch the eye of a future generation of higher-ups with their track records. Surely no one can hold a grudge forever y'know?"

"Do you have any idea who attacked that truck that night?" Raphael asked

"We've had our suspicions for a time, and the possibility of an investigation was brought up in the aftermath , but it was dropped as part of a need to disavow anything to do with our research. When our current project came up, someone in our employ believed, rightfully it now seems, that we may cause a bit of a noise with it, and that our enemies may strike again, so he offered up his services to trace information about them" Maxwell continued

"Can you give us details on him?" Leonardo inquired

"Yes. Yes, if you feel it can help you" Maxwell replied

"Woah, wait a sec, brain freeze moment… you're gonna trust the four of us mutated misfits, who are complete strangers to you, with classified information?" Michelangelo said in alarm. April was quick to give him a nudge.

"Don't be so over-analytical Mike" she said

"…You make a good point, but what can I say? You lot just have such honest faces" Maxwell said, and led them to his office and to a computer on his desk. He punched in a few keys, opening up an index of names and photographs. Finally, Maxwell found who he was looking for.

"Here we are. Delgado Prince. 35. He broke contact with us a few months ago and hasn't shown up for work since." Maxwell said.

Raphael studied the photograph closely, he recognized the face.

"Ah nuts" he said. It was the man he had rescued from the killer robot a few months ago, the catalyst for their entire journey so far.

"You recognize him?" Maxwell said

"Let's just say we met on a disenchanted evening. Saved his tail from a robot." Raphael replied

"Robot?" Maxwell probed further.

"It's a long story" Donatello said, he looked up at a blueprint of the Mouser robots attached to the wall of Maxwell's office.

"Can you can take us to where you manufacture these?" he said.

"I don't see the harm. Fine by me" Maxwell said

"Woah…TWICE you let four strangers waltz around your base in a row? Why are you in charge of this place again?" Michelangelo continued, April nudged him once more.

"Cut it out Mike" she said.


	42. Chapter 42

**CHAPTER FORTY-TWO**

Maxwell and Donatello walked down a bustling corridor, teeming with busy men and women dressed out in lab coats and business wear. Some of the researchers gave Donatello dirty looks, Maxwell tried to cover for him

"Don't panic, he's with me" he said.

"Jesus Max, what are you bringing out of there?" said one researcher, exiting a door to their left, the label atop the door read 'COMBINING'

"Combining?" Donatello asked

"It's where we fuse together the mutagen with our test subjects. Always in small doses though. We've never had as extreme a case as yours" Maxwell said.

"I think you'll find there's been more extreme cases than us in due course" Donatello said, "Some even take things to the extreme"

The two entered a door north of them, the label read 'ENHANCED ROBOTICS'. Inside was a vast hub of technological activity. Engineers, technicians, and inventors all hard at work testing out mechanical limbs, welding lasers, aerial cameras, flame-resistant bodysuits, and Mousers.

Several of the workers looked up, and froze dead in their tracks at the sight of Donatello. An annoyed Maxwell again stepped up.

"I don't pay you to gawk" he said.

The work steadily resumed. Maxwell turned to Donatello

"Sorry. Welcome to Disneyland"

Donatello was stunned. He was is science whiz heaven.

"…This is incredible,… much of this technology is so unlike what you find in the real world"

"Makes you wonder just why the world bothers to be so real when it could indulge in wonders such as this" Maxwell replied

The two were swiftly interrupted by a tall, lean black male in a grey lab coat. He had a pen in his mouth, using both of his hands to hold up a clipboard. He was doodling on a piece of paper with the pen still in his mouth, Maxwell grabbed him and brought him to his side. The man dropped the pen.

"Ah, and here's the man behind the magic…Donatello, Doctor Baxter Stockman. Baxter, Donatello" Maxwell said, making the formal introductions.

Baxter did not make initial eye contact with Donatello, instead he looked at Maxwell with annoyance.

"Max, I thought we agreed you were never to touch me" he said

Maxwell coughed awkwardly, "…I got excited Baxter"

"...Sir" Baxter said

"I'm your BOSS Baxter" Maxwell insisted

Baxter, sterns as stone, repeated himself

"SIR" he said, and motioned to grab Maxwell by his shirt collar. Maxwell put both hands up

"Sir. Sir, ok? Now, if you'd care to say hello to..."

"No" Baxter said, "I don't do interims"

"They're not interims. They're intruders. NICE intruders" Maxwell clarified.

"Procedure is NOT kind to intruders. Why aren't you dealing with them?"

Donatello tapped Baxter on the shoulder

"Erm, sir?" he said.

Baxter froze, his face became increasingly stony. He closed his eyes briefly and tried to compose himself

"He touched me" he said

"Yeah. I did. That happened" Donatello said

"He's an intruder. And he touched me" Baxter rambled on

"Baxter, I think you should just..,." Maxwell began, but Baxter got further up in his face, he was breathing very hard.

"You let an intrusive and unpredictable element touch a senior member of your personnel, putting our security, specifically MINE, at risk. Are you going to stand for that?"

"Baxter, just please turn around" Maxwell said

"…And what? And WHAT Maxwell? Stare in awe at this latest bungling on your watch? Fine, just WATCH me turn around"

He froze up when he saw Donatello up close.

"…Oh crap" he said

"Hi. I come in peace, don't worry" Donatello said, extending his hand.

"Baxter, meet Donatello" Maxwell said

Baxter shook the hand apprehensively

"A pleasure to meet you"

"Likewise" Donatello added.

"You're a Turtle. A big…green, scaly, mutant…Turtle. I really am not pleased. I'm terrified" Baxter said

"..And, unfortunately, very honest" Maxwell added.

"But very formal, above all other things" Baxter finished.

"I'm sure the fear'll pass like it did so readily with your boss" Donatello said with confidence.

"Don't bet on it" muttered Baxter.

Maxwell clapped both of his hands loudly, trying to break the tension up a bit.

"Right…now that we've…cleared the air, let's get to talking shall we?" he said

"You're letting him walk. Now you're letting him talk. To me" Baxter said

"Yes Baxter, you're the most qualified to answer his questions" Maxwell said

"..You're letting a giant, mutant scaly Turtle ask questions about this establishment?" Baxter inquired

"Yes" Maxwell said, his tone getting more serious.

Baxter shrugged his shoulders. This was clearly an argument he wasn't going to twist to his liking.

"…Right. Right. Of course. Fine. Who am I to judge? Come with me freak" he said

"Pardon?" Donatello said

"…GEEK. Come with me GEEK. I was talking to him" Baxter said, pointing to Maxwell

"...Isn't he your boss?" Donatello said.

"And? Your point?" Baxter said.

Maxwell sighed.


	43. Chapter 43

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE**

Inside an office belonging to Bishop, he was deep in thought. April paced up and down the room waiting for any kind of a response.

Finally, he gave her one.

"Alright" he said

"Alright?" April said

"What is it you want to keep this quiet?" Bishop asked

"A few months ago I'd be giving you a list of things…selfish, possessive, immature stuff…but these last few months I've been in such compassionate company, that all I want…is a guarantee for the preservation of that. Preservation for my friends."

"Those things? If Max is to be believed, they're our property. We can't afford them running around the sewers…and from YOUR accounts, they're not even content with doing that." Bishop said.

"Think about it. They're allowed to walk out of here and back to their world, without being tailed, and we vow not to spill any of these details, where you're located, the whole works" April counter argued.

"And_ you're_ content to run around with them?" Bishop asked

"It's a tough life, but I'm willing to live it" she said, sitting down and putting both of her feet up on the table.

"Besides…they could be a great asset to you. A stealth combat team who strike at night, taking out all kinds of unpredictable criminal elements, keeping the streets safe in the event you can't answer the count. Twice they saved me, and in that second save, they helped keep a whole lot of other people secure. It's a tight C.V they have, you should give them a chance to chat"

"You're really buying into your wonderland aren't you Alice?" Bishop remarked

April folded her arms behind her head and relaxed herself

"I've always had my eye on a story, what better than the story of my life?"

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Elsewhere, inside one of the facility's glass chambers, the man identified earlier as Graves was watching a rat make his way through a maze towards a stack of cheese. The rat looked at the cheese and refused to eat it

"Good...hunger strike, the desired reaction" Grave said, satisfied with the results.

Leonardo walked in, a Trooper following him

"I'm...sorry to intrude, but...it's Graves isn't it? I asked around" Leonardo said

"Who wants to know?" Graves asked, annoyed at the breach of privacy.

" I need a question answered" Leonardo declared.

Graves looked at the Trooper.

"I told you cowboys never to come in here" he snapped.

"Can't do that sir, I'm on orders"

"Pal, everyone in either a suit or a lab coat gives you orders, and I'm giving you a straight one now. Get out." Graves insisted

"Sir, I really don't think..." the trooper began in protest, Graves cut him off

"...Yeah, well if you _did_ think, you'd be able to process what Max said earlier. This thing belongs with all the other things, it's our job to learn from them"

"...Yes sir, if you're sure..." the Trooper said, knowing he was beat.

"It's ok, I mean no harm, I just need to know something" Leonardo said

The Trooper turned to leave, "I'll be outside" he said

"So long as you're out" Graves replied. The Trooper left.

"Thank you. I tried shaking him earlier, but this place seems to have eyes everywhere" Leonardo said.

"Don't sweat it, I specialize in process of elimination, people with guns go first, guns can shatter anything and these guys NEVER put them away, they're always pointing them, or worse, putting them to the side, itchy trigger fingers, understandable in a place like this but completely inappropriate in a place like this at the same time, get what I mean?"

"I think..." Leonardo replied

"Good answer. You THINK. Now, ask away so you can get out too" Graves proclaimed

"You were called 'Rat King the Second' by one of the people here" Leonardo asked

"Yeah" Graves answered, "What of it?"

"...This..I'm not sure why I'm so sure myself, but just as the mention of that other name set us off, something about this does the same.. Your people work closely with creatures of all kinds" Leonardo continued

"Correct" Graves replied

"And rats are your thing right?"

"Yes, though truth be told I inherited the task from my mentor"

"...Who was the first 'Rat King'"

"Answered your own question. Smarter move. Now you can get out much quicker" Graves replied

"Please...what was his name?" Leonardo said

"Yoshi. Hamato Yoshi" Graves replied

Leonardo paused, "...Yes. Yes, of course..." he muttered. Things had become quite clear. Clear as crystal as a matter of fact.

"Worked on heightening and stabilizing the psychology and practice of physical reflex and defensive stratagems with rodents, we'd feed them portions of an experimental form of genetic mutagen to heighten their awareness levels, and installed tiny traces of micro-computer code in the body mainframe so the brain could process things in the correct sequence. You probably still have traces of those chips in your own body."

He pointed to Leonardo, who examined himself, prodding his stomach with his fingers slightly, Graves resumed working, but continued to reveal things

"He was a real workaholic, and he had such a supreme mind...bit one-note though, refused to cross his experiments over with any other creatures, his wife constantly tried to persuade him otherwise, but he had a point, who would ever think a Turtle could be taught martial arts?

Mind you Teng-Shen tried her best to persuade him, she dabbled in the same techniques, only her interest and her experiments were centered around Turtles, which would bring everything neatly back to...you"

"And...they died. Teng-Shen and Yoshi. They died together. I remember. I...just...never knew their names is all...or what they meant to us." Leonardo said, his voice trailing off. The weight of this missing chunk of his past had been lifted, but what continued to linger was the abundance of missed opportunities and experiences taken from him and his brothers by cruel hands of men and fate.

"Bishop and his feds did some digging on their killers, they're a real outfit, a cutthroat gang of Ninjas known internationally as "The Foot". Around these parts we call them 'The Foot Up The Ass'" Graves explained

"These...'foot', are they still around?" Leonardo asked

"Hey, I tackle rodents, not ninjas, talk to Bishop, I think he's somewhere in the vicinity of...I dunno...out of this room" Graves said, his curiosity in Leonardo having long since diminished, he was keen to get back to work.

"Ok, ok, you win...thank you"

Leonardo left the lab to let Graves work in peace.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Over at the warehouse, a phone went off, it was picked up by Conduit.

"Yes?" he said

There was a beat.

"Really now? I see…how long are they there for?" he said. After another informative few seconds, he spoke aloud again

"Ok, point us in the right direction and we'll work out the rest from this end. Thanks"

He put the phone down and ran up to where Saki was stationed

"Our enemies are in bed with one another" he said.

Saki nodded. He looked at his hub of monitors, watching the previous battles the Turtles had participated in against his men.

"Then they have both earned their immediate rest"


	44. Chapter 44

**CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR**

Donatello waited patiently outside a cubicle until Baxter emerged.

"Sorry, had to take an urgent call" he said, "Follow me if you will"

Donatello and Baxter entered the 'ENHANCED ROBOTICS' wing of the facility, and observed the manufacturing process of the mousers.

"Remarkable, the mousers operate on that level of frequency? That's the type perfected by the sonar of bats" Donatello said

"Oh it's much, MUCH sharper than that, watch how quickly the mouser maneuvers through this brick maze towards the exit" Baxter said, eyeing up the mouser. He pulled out a stop watch and placed the mouser in the maze and activated the watch. The two keen minds looked on as the mouser chewed through the brick walls and towards the end of the maze

"It's just chewed it's way out" Donatello said

"Just look at the time it took to accomplish that" Baxter said, stopping his watch, Donatello read the time on the numbered digits.

" Eight seconds. Incredible" he said

"Average time for an average task. That's why we always aim big" Baxter replied

"And how long does it take a building to come down with things like this working away at it?" Donatello said

"You watch the news don't you?" Baxter said

"Whenever I can...brothers permitting" Donatello replied

"They know us to be sixty-minute mysteries...we always try to aim a little shorter though. Our work on _ The Portal _took us a record setting forty-two minutes. Come Monday, we'll be aiming for thirty"

"Half the time? Meh, not a bad score" Donatello said.

"And you can do better?" Baxter said grumpily

"Oh, I only repaired the mouser unit we tracked in fifteen" Donatello boasted

"Fifteen" Baxter said, curious

"Fifteen" Donatello repeated

"Minutes?" Baxter said

"..And thirty-eight seconds. I timed myself" Donatello said

"Really? Interesting...I could do with a quick hand on one of my units...you wouldn't mind taking one back to whence you came and toy with it a little?" Baxter said

"With permission, I'd love to toy with it a lot. I barely scratched the surface of how it worked the last time, with more minutes I could even hasten its productivity, and give you the means to get your demolition jobs done in even more of a record time"

"You're green, not human, your type are all color coordinated like gay pride for ninjitsu... and impossible is written all over you...but...to some frightening degree I think I can trust you on this. You've got a deal" Baxter said. Donatello was taken aback by how easy his offer had been taken up

"I do? Awesome. Thank you so much Mr. Stockman, I really feel we can help each other"

"Come, I'll arrange the handover of the unit personally" Baxter said

Michelangelo and Maxwell soon joined them, they were in the middle of their own conversation, talking about the Bond movie _The Living Daylights_

"...And then they take out the bridge just like that, BOOM. Those resistance fighters are the kind I want in my back pocket when the going gets tough" Michelangelo said

"That's all well and good, but...when you think about it...you realize Bond was being helped by what would come to be regarded in some circles as the Taliban right?" Maxwell said.

"...What's a Taliban?" Michelangelo said.

Maxwell shook his head. Michelangelo turned his attention to Donatello

"How we doing bro?" he said

"I've got some homework to do, and I'd like to get started as soon as possible. Let's gather everyone up and head on home" Donatello said

"But this place is awesome. No fair" Michelangelo said, disappointed that they would soon have to depart.

"It'll still be here when we get back...that is, if we're allowed back" Donatello said

"You're more than welcome. You're our living legacy, you can expect the best of care from us should you require it" Maxwell replied

"We'll be back as soon as we can" Donatello said

Baxter handed over the mouser to Donatello and the two made their way out of the department. Michelangelo turned back and waved.

"We'll keep in touch, you guys have got to make me something for Christmas" he said.

Donatello dragged him away.

"Let's be humble about all this shall we?" he said.

"Dude, let them spoil us, after all they're family" Michelangelo said in his defense

"It's a promise son" Maxwell replied

After they left, Maxwell turned back to Baxter

"Speaking of promises Baxter...when are you getting my answering machine fixed? I sent it to the shop months ago" Maxwell said

"Oh it's on the way Max, though you really should settle for a cell phone" Baxter replied

"I like to think of myself as old-fashioned" Maxwell said.

"You are. To a stubborn degree" Baxter said

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

Back at the warehouse, Conduit was working on the main computer hub, looking over a large map of the sewer network, when he noticed a small blip

"Saki, we've got something" he said

Saki walked over to the hub

"Are you tracking it?" he said

"They're as good as ours"

Saki turned around and addressed his men.

"Stir the beasts. Tonight we dine on Turtle soup"


	45. Chapter 45

**CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE**

Two hours later and Donatello was hard at work in his lab, Irma walked in, his back was turned to her

"What are you working on now? Still feeding that mousey thing some silicon cheese?" Irma said

"I got done with the mouser a while ago. I'm just recalibrating the sensors on this now" Donatello replied

"..And what thing would that be?" Irma asked.

Donatello swung around, Irma reacted in alarm

"What?" Donatello said

"Wh-where did one of your eyes go?" Irma said

Donatello pointed to his right eye, which appeared to now be a clear kind of white.

"This?" he said. Irma nodded.

He reached towards the eye and peeled off the white gloss, Irma was grossed out.

"There? See, nothing to worry about" he said.

"What is that?" Irma asked

"It's a special type of lens I've been developing to help us see better in the dark" Donatello said

"Couldn't you just eat a whole heap of carrots instead?" Irma replied.

"You really do find something to laugh about all the time don't you?" Donatello said, smiling.

"Laughter's my best defense in this place" Irma admitted

"It's been over two months since we all met, you're still freaked out?"

"Not really. I've worked out what keeps me at ease. Like watching you work" Irma said.

Donatello got all flustered, "Oh stop it" he said

"I'm serious. I get such a kick out of what you come up with, your creativity isn't something you can just ignore. You're a real genius."

"If only I could marry the mother of invention" Donatello remarked

"Incidentally, I'm great at that sort of thing" Irma replied

"Really now?"

"Well… nothing as complex as what you do. Mainly cooking. Original recipies" Irma revealed

"That's an essential skill" Donatello said

"It's so simple though. Nothing like what you do" Irma said

Sometimes it pays to be simple. No one works on empty stomachs" Donatello replied

"Is this real encouragement, or are you just trying to get me to handle your TV dinners for you?" Irma remarked, Donatello let out another giggle, he loved that she could make him a little better after an exhausting period of work.

"If cooking makes you happy, I don't see why such a task would dampen your spirits" he said.

"Why does every conversation I have lead to making someone a sandwich?" Irma said.

"Oh that'd be great" Donatello replied.

Elsewhere in the lair, April was practicing martial arts, she was barefoot and dressed in loose purple jeans and a blue vest. Her hair tied back. Splinter walked in on her training just as she finished. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took notice. She smiled.

"Hey" she said

"I see you have become inspired by my students" Splinter commented

"All in case I come under fire again. Girl can't be tied to the railroad tracks forever, we all can get bored of that routine. I feel I now know what I want, and that's to get an army prepped, it's time for revenge" April said

"Vengeance ages the youth in the heart, and embitters the grace in your spirit" Splinter cautioned.

"Yeah, well the moment your home comes crashing down before your eyes, be sure those words are on the menu served with plenty of crow" April cynically remarked.

Splinter pointed to his own head and heart.

"Home is here. It will be downed only by death"

"You don't believe in some kind of afterlife? A better place?" April said.

"Afterlife is an afterthought, best reserved when you understand all that there is about life, but life is an eternal question, forever changing even when you leave it behind." Splinter advised

April smiled again, though this time a lot more faintly, she didn't quite buy into what Splinter meant this time, but she had come to an understanding of his ways and was often at peace with his words.

"I just…don't get how you and the others can be so at peace with the world when so much pain has passed before your eyes. Don't you want to show yourselves? Shout at the world and make them realize how special you are?" she said

"We are sons of a silent age. A part of history not yet ready to imprint itself on the official version" Splinter revealed

"What will it take for you to step away from the shadows?" April inquired

"Nature is delicate, ever testing itself, tempered by a division of beauty and chaos. For there to be a beginning, there must be a blend" Splinter continued.

"That's a tall order" April said

"Everything comes to order. In time" Splinter spoke

He took notice of Leonardo, staring out at the trickling current of raw sewage cascading down from the tunnels in front, lost in thought, Splinter approached him

"You are again troubled my son" Splinter said

"I feel like a half-finished painting only now being completed" Leonardo admitted

"The gathering shadows have merged, and their color is not as black as one expected" Splinter said

"I used to think we were unique to your teachings Master, only now I find we owe our whole change in nature to the cold logic of scientific progress. How are we meant to move forward with that knowledge?"

"It is not the method that moves us forward, but the choices. A good heart and a sane mind cannot be artificially constructed or programmed into us, it must be built by experience and enhanced by the care and attention we receive from others. We move forward through acceptance of the experience, of the memory, and the choice" Splinter advised.

"Some of us could do without such three things" Leonardo continued, "In my experience, my memory, my choice, I have lost those dear to me"

"The storm does not pass by so calmly unless you walk within the eye" Splinter continued

Before the talk could go any further, a small metal object suddenly rolled gently along the floor and rested beside Splinter's foot. Splinter looked down, the orb opened and revealed a small eye, it began to gradually glow red.

Leonardo's instincts took over, and he quickly pushed Splinter out of the way as the object exploded. The blast was vast and tore apart much of the surrounding area.

Somewhere among the smoldering wreckage, a half-conscious Leonardo stirred, coughed as the dust covered the area. He searched blindly through the thick fog, looking for Splinter, crying out his master's name.

It proved to be, for the time being, in vain.


	46. Chapter 46

**CHAPTER FORTY-SIX**

Raphael, dazed and shaken, stumbled into what remained of the living area

"What's going on?" he said.

"We're under attack" confirmed a groggy Leonardo

A hand suddenly burst out of the murky wisps of smoke and choked Leonardo. The Turtle struggled, but couldn't shake the grip. His attacked stepped out of the smog. It was Bebop, aided by Cue-Ball, talking into a communication device

"Raph, protect...protect Splinter, find him if you can and protect him" Leonardo said.

The right side of the wall suddenly caved in as Rocksteady charged through, blind-siding Raphael and knocking down as well as out.

Cue-Ball relayed further instructions through the communicator

"Wingnut, find O'Neil, I repeat FIND O'NEIL" he said

Another creature cut through the fog, one not met previously by the Turtles. It was a giant hulking man-bat creature, one eye slightly bigger than the other, it had a purple tongue, and razor sharp talons. It began to throw anything that wasn't nailed down, sofas, pillows, debris, all in it's search for April, who was hiding in a tunnel just out of Wingnut's reach, hiding with Michelangelo.

April peered out of her hiding place to get a better look, but Michelangelo was quick to pull her back.

"Don't take a peek" he said, "It's after you"

"Let 'em just try and take me" April said.

"Brave words, but I don't think you can back 'em against that thing" Michelangelo replied

"And you think YOU can do any better?" April said

"I'll cover for you, you just call Casey and make your way to The Technodrome" Michelangelo instructed

"But they could kill you" April said

"Worry later, now's where you get the bravery kick" Michelangelo replied

April grabbed both his hands, she looked into his eyes with a range of emotion.

"Promise me. You promise me you'll be safe" she said.

Michelangelo nodded, and, following a cozy reassuring hug, the two went their separate paths, April made a run for it, taking her cell phone out of her pocket so she could call Casey, who was checking in on Gabrielle topside.

Michelangelo took out his nun-chucks and headed into the remains of the living area to confront the intruders.

"Alright Bat-Fink, I'm calling time on your party"

"...Where is the woman?" Wingnut rasped

"Wait. Hold everything...say that again" Michelangelo requested, a little giddy.

"The woman, where is she..." Wingnut continued

"No, no, say it EXACTLY the way you said it last time. For a minute there you sounded exactly like Nuclear Man" Michelangelo replied.

Wingnut looked right through him, having no comprehension of what he meant.

"You know...from Superman IV? I caught it on Netflix just a few hours ago. He was infatuated with this chick and he went out searching the city for her. He was all "where is the woman", and Superman was all "give it up, you'll never find her", and then he was all "If you do not tell me, I will hurt people" . He didn't hurt them though, he just lifted them really high in the air. That film was so lame"

"You're a joker" Wingunt replied, "I can tell, I led a whole pack of jokers"

"Cool. What happened to 'em?" Michelangelo asked

"They died"

"Woah...tough room for their jokes or something?" Michelangelo inquired

Wingnut lunged at Michelangelo and swiped at him with his talons, the Turtle did his best to avoid them, but one talon hits the target, cutting Michelangelo across the chest.

"Not funny. That is NOT funny"

"So many freaks...ones I led, ones on my side, ones opposed to me...my mother warned me about all of you. They said war would change me. I never suspected how much. I must thank my mother in person."

Michelangelo lunges at Wingnut and managed to pull a couple of dog tags off of him.

"Just as I thank you" Wingnut said, and threw Michelangelo into the remnants of the torn wall

"Wingnut" said Cue-Ball, requesting he come over to where he was. Wingnut turned away from the limp body of his target

"Have you found her?" Cue-Ball asked.

"She isn't here. May I go home now? It's getting late"

"We've got a lot of ground to cover" Cue-Ball said

"You're not hearing me. I want to go HOME" Wingnut replied

There was an awkward silence. Cue-Ball patched in to Saki

"Boss? Should we let him make a house call?" Cue-Ball asked

"Yes, give him the satisfaction, it won't matter much by the end of the day" Saki said

"Go" Cue-Ball instructed

Wingnut let out a delightful holler and walked out of the lair, Cue-Ball, Rocksteady and Bebop followed him out, leaving Michelangelo broken and barely conscious. Raphael recovered and cried out his name hoping he'd answer, but it would be many minutes before he would get a response.


	47. Chapter 47

**CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN**

He's stirring" April said as Michelangelo regained consciousness. He found himself outside the entrance of the Technodrome

"What...what happened?" Michelangelo said

"It's alright Mike, you're ok" April said, giving his neck a rub.

Michelangelo quickly sprang up.

"No, I'm not" he said

"Can't lie about this can I?" April said aloud.

"The others, what happened to..." Michelangelo began.

"Don't worry, we got away" a reassuring voice said from behind. Michelangelo turned around and was greeted by Leonardo and Raphael, looking slightly worse for wear.

"How?" he said

"They spared us" Leonardo replied

"They...spared us?" Michelangelo said in astonishment.

"...Simple idea isn't it? Put so much little of a fight and stand as little as a chance as possible and you can make even the hardest nail bend to your whims" Leonardo said

Michelangelo looked around for Donatello, he was seated somewhere to the right, looking at a dented, but operable, laptop computer. Irma was at his side wrapping a bandage over his head, tending to a large gash which was trickling blood.

"I don't get it. How could our location have leaked like that?" Donatello said

"Will you hold still? This gaping hole in your head isn't done leaking either" Irma said

The main hatch of the Technodrome facility opened, Bishop emerged with a few guards.

"What the devil is going on here?" he said.

"Easy on the use of the religious iconography Bishop...we have just been through hell after all" Raphael remarked

"We must regroup quickly, and plan as much as we can for the rescue mission ahead" Leonardo said.

"Rescue mission?" Michelangelo said

"Take a look around. Notice anyone missing?" April said

Michelangelo got his bearings together and counted how many of their number were there, then stopped when he realized someone of vital importance was missing.

"Dad" he said.

** -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

As Splinter came to, he found himself shackled and chained to the wall surrounding what appeared to be a makeshift zoo. Two muscular looking men loomed over him.

The doors to the room opened and Saki stormed through, he walked straight up to Splinter and put his hand to his mouth, turning and twisting his jaw as he examined him.

"…Awake I see" he said

"…Your voice…a most familiar echo…" Splinter replied

"It's a voice you would do well to fear if you do not answer my questions" Saki said

"You seem…to have all the answers…" Splinter responded.

"Do I now?" Saki said

Splinter observed Saki's outfit, particularly the stained gauntlets, which had yet to be cleaned of the blood spilled onto it.

"You wear the solution to end meaningful life on your wrists and shoulders…" Splinter continued.

"The power of life and death. Most observant. Which will you choose?" Saki said

"The questions brought forward by life can only be given and answered by the living…" Splinter replied

"Life it is then. Answer my questions and it shall be granted to you" Saki offered.

"..I am…prepared. We will learn together"

Saki slapped him across the face, a small gash spread across Splinter's cheek.

"This is not a school" Saki rasped.

"Such…familiar wording. As foreboding as you may seem, you are very much a student" Splinter said

"Answer my questions" Saki said.

"You have yet to give any. Do you…desire my permission?" Splinter said.

"I do not see you as an equal to me" Saki replied.

"Is this a form of self-assurance?"

Saki smacked him across the face once more, this time slicing off a fragment of Splinter's nose.

"I ASK THE QUESTIONS" Saki yelled, asserting himself

"…Ask" Splinter replied.

"What are you?" Saki began.

"By nature, or through learning?" Splinter said, earning another slap across the face for his trouble.

"The truth!" Saki said, "No riddles, just the truth"

"…My truth requires belief" Splinter said.

"I do not question your existence. We patched your freak's DNA through a source, that source confirmed none of them were human….are you?" Saki said with crystal clarity.

"We are one with the ways, but not with the source. No. We are not human" Splinter replied.

"…Good, we're getting on splendidly" Saki said, then stopped, he spotted something, he reached out for Splinter's head and wrenched it forwards, he examined the split ear on the rodent.

"A most peculiar attribute..." he said, then came to a realization.

"Of course" he said.

"…Recognition for both of us it would seem." Splinter said

"Distant is the memory, but it is there" Saki said.

"…Yes, I remember now. Saki. Saki was your name" Splinter replied.

"...And you. Yoshi's little...Splinter"

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	48. Chapter 48

**CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT**

Saki took in a deep breath as all sorts of nostalgia coursed through him, as his mind cast back to a fateful evening.

" And the others...there were Turtles present. The mutagen that was spilled that night…it had a hand in your creation. So many details…incredible that it all harkens back to that one night." Saki said

"That night…where you gave your all and fought by my master's side" Splinter said

"I have never given up that fight" Saki corrected him

"Yet…you carry the symbol of the enemy" Splinter said, noticing the foot symbol on a set of cards in Saki's right side pocket

"And in doing so, I have brought them great trouble, locking them in stalemate after stalemate with a common adversary. An obstacle in my path" Saki revealed

"The path has led to so much discomfort, so much loss. To know it is by your hand saddens me" Splinter said

"A judgment. From an ungodly creature. You truly are one with our ways" Saki said

"Your ways cause me great confusion" Splinter admitted

"Confusion is a complex beast, it blighted me for many a year" Saki said, and reflected on the journey that took him here.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO**

He saw himself as a much younger man arguing with a much younger man called Maxwell and a room full of important businessmen. He was dressed casually that day, pounding his fist angrily on a table, as he put forth an argument to an uninterested committee, an argument he was losing.

…_It seeped into everyone's way of thinking back then. Compromise was the favored choice over concrete clarity. They should have cut away their strings and forced the hidden hands out of the shadows. They opted to keep to their neck of the woods. Justice eluded me._

The committee shook their heads at Saki, who stormed out.

He retreated to his apartment. Inside it was decorated in weapons. a Katana, daggers, maces. Several sheets of paperwork lay scattered on the floor. Paperwork that included printouts of online articles, newspaper clippings, all of them about sightings and incidents involving 'The Foot'. Saki read from a read a bunch of the articles plastered on the walls of his apartment

_I studied my enemy, to such a freakish detail it was as if I had become one of them. In another life, perhaps I would be._

Saki practiced with the weapons, throwing his katana blade at the wall with precision skill, it hit the wall, embedding itself in it.

_"I trained in their techniques, I became lost to them. It soon became...noticeable"_

His mind reflected on the day it became too noticeable. A mix of men in lab coats and business suits confronted Saki, and after a heated exchange, a disinterested Saki was relieved of his duties

_The fools dismissed me from their service, so that my grudge did not blight their work. In cutting me loose, they only nullified what little patience I had left for their world. I realized I could know no true peace unless both The Foot and those that had pulled my strings were stripped of their veil of mystery...no longer would they be shadows, the world, not just I, deserved to be their judge._

Saki's next flash of remembrance took him to an alleyway. Near penniless from being unable to pay the rent on his home, he had been cast out into the streets, fuelled by a burning urge to locate his former employers, who had gone off the grid. He cornered one that had worked for them in the past and interrogated him, demanding information

_...I tried to keep track of them over the years, but all too swiftly I was met with distraction, and delay. _

He found himself knocked aside by a dumpster, all too quickly he lost sight of his quarry who had fled. He took his rage out on a small infant turtle nearby, crushing it to death

_"There was a Turtle present then too..."_

A small tear ran down Splinter's face

Saki took to a nightclub, and downed what little sorrows he had.

_So I resigned and lowered myself into the deepest, dankest well of human misery I could find...I met kindred spirits, like-minded souls who had been plundered by the high-ranking elite of society. _

Saki turned to see the men he would come to know as Conduit, Rocksteady, Bebop, and Cue-Ball assembled at a pool table.

He walked over, pushing someone out of their chair in the process and approached them. As Saki talked to Rocksteady and his posse, they soon came to a swift understanding, sharing stories of jadedness with the workplace and holding grudges against the system, and testing out one another's strengths, which, with a combination of ego and drink, soon escalated into a bar brawl.

Saki tossed Rocksteady over his shoulder as he charged him and hurtled him into the pool table, shattering it. After the skirmish was over and Saki stood over the brutish hulk triumphant, he offered his hand to him, Rocksteady took it.

_"Gradually, a pack was formed, and a plan was put into motion. And, In time the location of my enemies soon became known to me. We would bring light to both the hidden hand, this 'Foot', and lead those who would not see out of the blind alleys, and in doing so, bring to frustration a new and illogical way of life. Man will give way to the next stage"_

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**PRESENT DAY**

Saki's memory trip was interrupted by the presence of a far different Rocksteady and Bebop as they walked past him carrying a large container

"These men...now mutants will carry the key to our victory, the genesis of our new world"

"Life is ever changing, yet always constant. You will not tip the balance. You must not" Splinter said

"And what will stop me? So long as I have you, your fate hanging over their heads, they will not dare intervene. They are lost. Besides, they will have to prioritize given what we are about to unleash" Saki boasted

"And what is that?" Splinter said

"A family reunion. If all goes well it won't be less than tender" Saki replied, and headed over to the computer network and hastily talked through a communication device to a camera hooked up to Wingnut, who was in Klunk avenue.

"Wingnut. You may retrieve your target" he said.

Saki turned to Cue-Ball.

"I'm taking Rocksteady and Bebop to the theatre with the cargo, ensure the mousers home in on my signal" he said.

"Yes Saki" Cue-Ball replied


	49. Chapter 49

**CHAPTER FORTY-NINE**

Outside the Technodrome, the injured Turtles were being attended to by teams of medics. Irma was standing over Donatello as he lay on a slab, his head being closely examined. Irma was looking particularly anxious and worried. Maxwell was with them

"I don't know how this came about, really I don't" Maxwell insisted

"I believe you, but I need to patch into your network, is that ok?" Donatello said

"Whatever for?" Maxwell asked

"He needs patching up in the head. I don't think my first aid skills have been giving me first class service" Irma remarked

"Look, I'm fine Irma, you don't need to molly-coddle me" Donatello said, a little frustrated with how hard Irma was being on herself

Irma sat down beside him.

"You think I like seeing you like this?" she said

"You...like...seeing me?" Donatello replied

Irma took off her glasses to dry her eyes as small tears welled up, she got ever so slightly more emotional.

"Of course I do. You're brave and _so_ smart, so knowledgeable about the way things work, I envy that about you, and you make me laugh, usually the only person that can do that is me 'cause nobody gives me the time...except April...and now..."

Donatello reached out to her and gently and tenderly stroked his right hand on to her left cheek

"Tears like that tell me a lot of things. It's more than a "like" isn't it? Much more" Donatello said.

"..Oh it's a dream. A silly comic book wish-fulfillment fantasy" Irma replied

"Doesn't have to be" Donatello said

"I'm a realist" Irma insisted, stroking Donatello's hand.

"I'm an optimist. That's the only way any progress gets made, by looking forward to things" Donatello continued.

"...It wouldn't work. Just wouldn't. This world...it's all too black and white" Irma said, her voice trailing off, getting quieter as she resigned to the harshness of reality, Donatello turned her face around and looked into her eyes.

"All I've ever seen with you is living color" he said

They moved closer to each other, their lips almost connecting, until Donatello noticed Maxwell was still standing there observing the two, as was the doctor examining him

"..You were saying something about the network?" Maxwell said.

Donatello broke away from Irma and composed himself.

"Yes, yes of course Maxwell"

Irma clicked her fingers in annoyance and quickly put her glasses back on.

"I checked the remnants of the mouser after the lair was totaled...it was operating on a split range frequency" Donatello said to Maxwell.

"But that's impossible, that would mean another network was homing in on it, and none of our mousers operate outside the grid" Maxwell replied

"Hence why I need to examine it...to see if any left the grid" Donatello said

Nearby, April looked on at the other Turtles, many of them were lost for words and action, Leonardo was pacing back and forth, Raphael was using nearby walls as punching bags, chipping concrete off with every blow and caring little for the wear and tear on his hands, and Michelangelo was playing about in the sewage water, like an errant child in the kids section of the pool. She wanted to go over to Michelangelo in particular and join in so his sense of fun wouldn't have to be an isolated case, but she was distracted by the sight of Casey walking past her.

As the other Turtles decided to follow Donatello and Maxwell back into the Technodrome, April followed Casey, who was headed in the opposite direction.

"Casey? Where are you going?" she asked

"Blowing this joint. And you're coming with me" Casey said

"Explain the part that says I have to?" April said, annoyed greatly at this change in Casey's attitude

"We're putting these guys in danger just hanging around them, we should have listened to the feds and gotten ourselves relocated. You know, you've been making these big speeches to me about how "Alice in Wonderland" this all is, well Alice at least had the sense to start longing for home…for normalcy. I don't know what you're holding onto…but it can't be this. You'll get killed, and I'll die inside if that happens. So we're going. Now." Casey insisted

"But the guys…" April said

"They're NOT guys. Alright? C'mon" Casey said, grabbing April's hand in an attempt to take her with him, but she wouldn't budge. Casey paused and hung his head, he laughed at the situation.

"Jesus…you really wanna saddle up with them don't you?" Casey said

"They need me" April said

"Yeah, well _you _need someone" Casey said

"That isn't you" April replied

"Excuse me?" Casey said

"Casey, you might not want to admit it but…you've _got_ someone already, and you can't keep regarding her as a mistake or a distraction. It's time you took some responsibility. It's time we all grew up." April said

"Yeah well maybe I just need to clear my head…of all…of all THIS y'know?" Casey replied, and, knowing April was being stubborn, began to make tracks

"Casey, don't be like this" April said

"Hey, this is what you signed on for: Me. In all my shades. Black. White. All of it. If all of a sudden you wanna go chasing green…green rainbows, good luck" Casey said and stormed off. April threw her arms in the air and slapped them back down to her hips, she shook her head. Resigning herself to the fact she had finally let her boyfriend go, she headed back into the Technodrome.


	50. Chapter 50

**CHAPTER FIFTY**

April entered Max's office, where he and Bishop had gathered, discussing what to do next.

**"**We need a plan" she said

"I'm all ears" Bishop replied

"Just before the lair was totaled, I heard someone rattle off about 'Magic Monday', which is today, they clearly have some interest in what you guys are planning to do in a few hours" April said

"How can they possibly know about that? Besides that, it's just a routine demolition job, nothing sinister or spectacular about it." Bishop replied

"Delgado Prince" April uttered.

"What about him?" Maxwell said

"Think about it. He was one of you wasn't he? He starts fishing for clues on that attack eighteen years ago, and then all of a sudden drops off the face of the earth just about the time these "Foot" weirdoes start showing up, what's with that? "

Maxwell pondered this for a moment.

"It's possible. In addition to the investigation, he WAS involved heavily in the development and planning of our 'mouser's' assignments"

"Give me an address Max. Even if he isn't there, he may have left behind things we can salvage and piece together" April suggested.

"He lives at 24 Paulsen Road" Maxwell replied.

April snapped into immediate action

"I'm going over there" she said

"If Prince is connected to these guys, they may be waiting for you" Maxwell cautioned her.

"I agree. A few men and I will cover you" Bishop replied

Elsewhere, in the central computer room, Donatello was hard at work scanning the mouser's network. Raphael approached him with two mugs of tea in his hand.

"Anything?" he said as he drank from his own cup

"A lot of things. It's hard to pinpoint anything concrete" Donatello replied.

"You seem pretty confident nobody in this outfit set us up" Raphael said

"It's a trait Splinter taught me, to always read faces as easily as one comprehends a book, and make logical deductions based off character" Donatello revealed

"I find that really funny since you're so busy with machines more than man..." Raphael replied

He suddenly noticed some ruby red lipstick on Donatello's cheeks

"...And other things" he added

"Hmm?"

"Is...that ketchup or something? On your face" Raphael said, pointing out the mark.

"Oh, Irma gave me it when I started running tests. She's off to find a snack machine" Donatello explained

"You know what Master Splinter said about tattoos..." Raphael said

"Will you relax already? It totally comes off" Donatello said

"I don't see you wiping it" Raphael said

"My fingers are on the keys genius" Donatello added

"It doesn't take a whiz to understand your fingers could be all over something else sooner or later" Raphael added

"There!" Donatello exclaimed.

"What?" Raphael asked.

"I KNEW there was something lying underneath all this..." Donatello said

"Well, women get funny like that, I read it in a magazine lying around the sewers once.." Raphael began

"Ugh, no, no THAT. What's on the network. There's some sort of diverted route hidden under some dummy encodes above the standard co-ordinate map outline for the mousers, someone was really lazy at this.."

"And everyone else must have been just as lazy not to notice it" Raphael said

"Oh, to even professionally trained minds, this sort of thing can go over their average gaze" Donatello replied

"But not yours" Raphael said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm brimming with genius" Donatello boasted

"You're full of something alright" Raphael mumbled.

"All I need do is patch through to the route and we'll have a map of where it leads and where it originated from, and who sent the orders" Donatello said

"So it was someone here? Don, we'd better vamoose, they could all be in on it" Raphael advised

"I trust these people, besides, I've got a strong hunch. I know precisely who it is..." Donatello said, and punched in the codes. As the desired results came on screen, his face sank in shock and realization

"...How could I have been so stupid?" he said

"Who is it?" Raphael said

Donatello examined Raphael's contorting face. Raphael cracked his knuckles.

"Raph...what's with the face? You're not going to go ballistic are you?" he asked

"I don't adjust well to being in the midst of people we thought we could trust. Give me a name and it'll all get better" Raphael said

"For who?" Donatello continued

" Just give me a name" Raphael said

"...Ok. But don't...do...anything...rash" Donatello said.

"A. Name." Raphael said

With a deep gulp, Donatello gave him one.


	51. Chapter 51

**CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE**

Donatello and Raphael entered Maxwell's office with sour expressions etched across their faces

"Don, Raph, what can I do for..." Maxwell began.

Before he could finish Raphael grabbed him by the collar

"Where is he?" he said, "Where's Baxter?"

"In his lab. Why?" Maxwell said. Raphael let him go and walked towards the door at the back of Maxwell's office leading down into the main hub of labs.

"Raph, wait..." Donatello said. Raphael ignored Donatello's pleas and stormed through the door

"What's this about?" Maxwell said

Donatello took out a chip and deposited it on the desk

"Hook this up to your PC. Trace the route on the network, pinpoint the source signal. It's been right under your nose" Donatello said

Inside his lab, Baxter was seated on a revolving chair, he was locked in a busy sounding conversation on his phone

"…Yeah well if you could kindly tell Karai that if she wants the blueprints handed over to her contacts in China she's going to have to reach deep down into her purse and…"

Baxter looked up, Raphael had entered the lab, his face froze as he read the different types of tense frustration on the Turtle's face.

"I'll call you back" he said rather meekly, and put the phone down.

Raphael walked slowly up to him. Baxter could sense he'd been rumbled, yet he decided to still put up a facade

"…Oh. It's you. Hi. Nice day." he said. Raphael didn't answer. He was visibly bottled up with anger. Baxter noticed the mouser in his hand, and chose the wrong moment to make light of the tension.

"…So…how'd the upgrade go?" he asked

Raphael charged at Baxter and decked him with a straight uppercut. Baxter was thrown off his seat. Raphael grabbed him by the collar and threw another punch.

"Stay down, you sniveling little BASTARD" Raphael cried out and viciously kicked Baxter square in the gut as he tried to get to his feet. Raphael grabbed Baxter's head and smacked it off the floor, Baxter's glasses were crushed in the impact.

"DON'T YOU TRY TO GET UP" Raphael bellowed, and delivered another stern kick to Baxter's head, before placing his right foot on it, pinning him down. Baxter futilely tried to break free of the grip, he wiggled and flapped his arms about helplessly

"Ah god, stop, STOP! Ahh" Baxter screamed.

"Thought you could sweep us all under the rug did you? You hate the idea something like me can exist?" Raphael said, raising his foot and again bringing it down hard.

Back in Maxwell's office, he and Donatello examined the mouser mainframe on Maxwell's laptop, taking a look at the diverted channel

(Max and Donatello examine the Mouser network on the main computers, taking a look at the diverted channel. Maxwell was horrified.

"Holy shit, what's he done?" he said

They heard a loud clutter of noise, broken glass, and hectic yelling and commotion followed from several workers

"What in hell's colors was that? Maxwell said

"We'd better get down there. Now." Donatello said

Maxwell reached for the intercom

"Can I get security down at enhanced robotics please?" he said. Donatello raced down to the division, where Raphael continued to inflict punishment on Baxter

"Had enough?" he said

"Nice to know, I have a say in this" Baxter said, almost weeping

"I was asking MYSELF that question" he said, and kicked him again, he then picked him up and head butted him, Baxter reeled back, falling into another table full of glass beakers, which shattered upon contact.

"There's something I'm always asking of my brother…a word. Pretty simple one actually. I want you to say it." Raphael said

"S-say what?" Baxter said

"Oh I didn't expect you to know, you didn't show ANY of it to us. DID you? But you're a smart man, you'll figure it out very quickly" Raphael replied.

Baxter tried to slip by Raphael, but the Turtle grabbed him by the shoulder and slammed him back on to the table, Raphael produced one of his sais and aimed it at Baxter's right eye

"You can watch the birdie and pray it doesn't eat worms…or you can say it" Raphael said

Baxter shook, visibly terrified, the sai etched closer and closer

"Say it" Raphael yelled

Donatello entered with Maxwell and security guards.

"Raph, stop" Donatello said, running up to Raphael and restraining him, grabbing both of his hands.

"Let me go! He's gotta pay" Raphael said

"I know...I know, but not like this ok? This isn't what we do" Donatello said

"He led them to the lair…all of them, the damage done there…all down to him. You trusted him…and he sold us all out" Raphael said, close to despair in his vocal tone.

"It's ok. It's ok" Donatello said, and let Raphael go. He sank in despair, placing his head on one of the tables, and buried it in his hands. Donatello patted him on the back and focused on Baxter, who staggered back to his office desk.

"Why?" Donatello said sternly

"Donny, man, you gotta keep that bro of yours in check…" Baxter began, but Donatello would have none of it.

"Don't play innocent, I've seen the corrupted trail you left on the network, why did you do it?" Donatello said

Baxter slyly reached into his desk drawer

"What can I say?" he said, pulling out a gun

"…I've always thought this place could do with some re-branding"

Donatello quickly reacted and threw himself in front of Raphael as Baxter opened fire. The Turtles hit the floor and crawled on all fours to a safe distance, Maxwell's security guards exchanged fire. Baxter ducked the blasts and returned more bullets as he made his way to the back entrance, which in turn led down another corridor. Maxwell checked on the Turtles

"You guys ok?" Maxwell said

"Yeah, thanks" Donatello said

Raphael got up and headed down the same corridor. Donatello followed.

Baxter darted down the corridors, bumping into fellow scientists and secretaries, some of them carrying important work. Donatello and Raphael rushed down the hall, closing in on their target. Donatello, however, took pity on one of the women Baxter had knocked over and tried helping her pick up her papers and beakers

"Donny, you can play 'perfect stranger' later" Raphael said

"Sorry, gotta go" Donatello said to the perplexed female

As the pursuit continued, Maxwell's voice rang through the loudspeakers.

"Attention! Until further notice, this facility is in lockdown. We apologize for any inconvenience" he said

"We need to slow him down, so you better think fast" Raphael advised

"Are you alright in the head. You're not yourself right now" Donatello said

"Yeah well, I'm hungry" Raphael said

"You want a Snickers?" Donatello asked

"Any better ideas?" Raphael said

"I guess Mikey's birthday present's gotta come early" Donatello said

"What do you mean by that?" Raphael said

"This" Donatello said, producing something from the back of his shell. A grappling hook.

"Just the thing" Raphael said. Taking the hook, he aimed at the fleeing Baxter and fired. The grappling hook wrapped around Baxter's legs and sent him to the floor. Raphael pressed a button on the compact device and the hook and it's quarry found themselves being dragged all the way back to them. Baxter reached for his gun, but Donatello was quick to kick it out of his hand.

"Better?" Donatello said

"Better" Raphael replied.


	52. Chapter 52

**CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO**

Back at Maxwell's office, Baxter found himself tied to a chair with duct tape. The Turtles swarmed over him. Maxwell was pacing back and forth, smoking a cigarette at a frantic speed, coughing as he inhaled the smoke a little too readily.

"Lack of pay wasn't it?" he said

"Lack of appreciation. Recognition" Baxter said

"This facility isn't some fucking vanity project Stockman" Maxwell said, "If we're implicated in whatever hair-brained scheme your other boss is concocting, you will go down with the ship as well"

"You think I don't know that?" Baxter snapped back, "Do you know how hard it is to give up your creations that you've nurtured and cared for this whole time? To disavow all knowledge of them because..."

"...Because what?" Maxwell said

"He means the mousers are playing a key role in what's going down" Donatello replied

"But what? What possible role could they play? They're good at deconstruction and pest control, but..."

April suddenly burst in

"...They're part of the recipe. There's a whole different concoction being brewed, and they're the central ingredient. All they need to add is the soup." she said

"Where have you been?" Michelangelo asked

"Prince's place. Found a good deal of stuff there. Seems he stumbled on to Baxter's little plan months earlier, according to his last diary entry he was intending to contact Maxwell about cancelling "Magic Monday'" April replied

"Figures that part of the past would come back in a big way" Raphael said

"Oh I get it, babe to the future" Michelangelo joked

"...What's so special about today? It's just an old building we're demolishing..." Maxwell said

"Which brings us to the 'soup'. Baxter had made several component deliveries to a Mr. Finlay Sharpe" April said

"Finlay?" Maxwell said

"You know him?" Raphael asked

"He's better known as 'conduit' to us, but he's one of our oceanic and tech experts" Maxwell admitted, and gave Baxter another dirty look, disgusted at the lack of remorse on his stony expression.

"How could any of this slip under our radar?" Maxwell said, "Just how far does this insurgent movement of yours reach? How many are involved?"

"Lions and tigers and bears oh my...or is that rhinos and warthogs and bats oh boy?" Baxter cryptically replied

"He's talking in riddles, I wouldn't entertain him any further" Leonardo said

"Anything else you dug up April?" Raphael asked

"Yep. Those components? A mix of rare and expensive chemicals were shipped to the same address many times over. We checked the address since but it had long been evacuated. No trace of him" April revealed

"Let me look at that list" Maxwell said.

April handed it to him, Maxwell's face became awash with hints of dread.

"This...my word, this is the standard instruction on how to develop a large strain of mutagen" Maxwell said

"Great...so a bunch of sub-human submariners have been working on making a monster squad all on your pay-roll. At this rate, the Technodrome is gonna look like the base camp of some real moustache-twirling Saturday morning villainy...though with a name like that it might as well be" Raphael said

"Let's not focus on the finger pointing, all we need to focus on is being pointed in the right direction. We need to recover Master Splinter and find out how the mousers, the mutagen, and the demolition job connects to the larger plan"

"I've been able to trace the corrupted network trail to its main source" Donatello said, "And I need to find a way to hack into their network and corrupt their hardware so they can't control the mousers"

"You got the address of this compound on the docks?" Michelangelo asked

"Right here" April said, pointing to another of the papers she had brought in

"Then what are we waiting for?" Raphael said, "Wise Dock, just south of here"

"I'll seal off the Mirage theatre. Maxwell, where are the mousers currently stationed?" Bishop asked

"We sent them out early, we like our afternoon showings, they should be east of us by now"

"I'll send as many as we can muster in after them, their orders are to destroy every single one" Bishop said

"Thing is...what can we do to really take those at the compound by surprise?" Donatello said.

"Dude.. suggestion?" Michelangelo said, and whispered something in Donatello's ear, Donatello's eyes lit up

"It's...doable, I'll put it together, but you _really _need to drop this particular film fixation" Donatello said.

Michelangelo suddenly had a nagging notion echo in the back of his mind. He had been gradually piecing together part of a puzzle that had been perplexing him since he tore the dog tags off of Wingnut, a name he had seen on them, he decided to entertain his suspicions and get a full look at the name.

"Oh no" he whispered as he took a closer look

The tags read 'Ester'

He looked around, and spied the exit to Maxwell's office and the way out of the Technodrome, he looked at the other Turtles and stretched his arms out wide

"Boy is it hard to find the bathroom in here, I think I'll just go outside if you guys don't mind" Michelangelo said

"Don't be so public about something as private as that Mike" Raphael said

"Yeah...will do" Michelangelo said

April followed him out

"Mike, what's going on?" she said as they left the office

"Call of nature" Michelangelo said

"Your face is pale, I can read people easily, what are you hiding?" April said

Michelangelo could sense April's urge to help, and he cared enough not to lie to her.

"Look, people I look out for are in danger. Zach's neighbor Mrs. Ester, I think one of the creatures we tangled with at the lair is after her, I gotta check in on the street" Michelangelo said

"I'll come with you" April replied

"No way babe, this is too hot to handle for you, and the guys need to find Splinter" Michelangelo said

"It's dangerous on your end too, I saw what those creatures can do, you'll be totaled without some help" April said

"I won't be able to dig myself out of an angst chasm if I don't do something" Michelangelo said

"I won't stand to see you hurt knowing I could have done something to prevent it" April replied

"Hey, you do plenty for me already, you have a groovy kind of...faith, and I'll hold onto that " Michelangelo said, stroking her face. April grabbed his hand

"Hold onto this too" she said, and, to Michelangelo's astonishment, she kissed him passionately on the lips. For a moment that would endure throughout their lifetimes on Earth, they were locked tightly in a touching period of paradise, slowly beginning to embrace before the urgency of the situation overtook their minds again and they detached from each other

"...Is that...was...that..." Michelangelo said, words failing him

"It's real Mike. This wild, crazy dream of ours. It took us a while...but...finally, it's real. Now go."

Michelangelo kissed April on the cheek, held her hand briefly, and finally walked away , jumping into the air and humming pleasantly to himself. April watched him go, then, just as swiftly, got on the phone

"Hi, listen I know you don't want to hear anything from me at the moment, but you need to get your ass over to Klunk Avenue now"


	53. Chapter 53

**CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE**

At the warehouse, Conduit was hard at work at the computer hub. Cue-Ball approached him

"Bebop looked a bit sore last I saw him. He's got a massive rash around his sides"

"Yeah, that's the duct tape. It had super-glue on it" Conduit replied

"You took the time to analyze the duct tape?" Cue-Ball asked

"I get bored pretty easily tending to this job" Conduit continued.

"Speaking of which, you better put the jammer in effect so Wingnut can go about his business with minimum incident, likewise with Saki and the rest"

"On it" Conduit said, and set to work on the controls, activating the jammers.

Suddenly, the phone rang, he picked it up

"Conduit here...oh, it's you" he said, his tone going from crisp to cold as he recognized Baxter's voice

In Maxwell's office, Baxter was talking into a phone being held for him, for he was still tied up. Bishop stood left to him, his arms folded

"Just...just letting you know some of the new 'foot' soldiers are on their way to you now"

"We expected a shipment this morning. Saki's had to go to the theatre without them" Conduit explained

"Well that's where you come in, let them in so you can program them to rendezvous at the desired co-ordinates" Baxter replied

Cue-Ball and Conduit observed the monitors and spotted three figures attired in S.W.A.T gear moving about in a robotic fashion

"Is that them? They're dressed differently" Conduit said.

"It's daylight. Of course they're not going to go around looking like they usually do. Just let them in" Baxter said

"Fine. Fine" Conduit said, and unlocked the door via the control console. The three entered.

"Right, they're in" Conduit confirmed. Maxwell switched the phone off. Baxter gulped.

"He cut me off" Conduit said.

"We better get this programming stint done quicky" Cue-Ball said, "Saki is expecting something more concrete for the feds to pin the blame on than just a calling card this time"

Cue-Ball and other henchmen walked over to the troops

"Help me get their helmets off" he said.

Conduit noticed something going wrong with the computer hub. He alerted Cue-Ball to the problem.

"Something's up here" he said

The hub's visuals flickered on and off, gradually, a music video begins playing over the usual imagery, it was the song _'License to Kill" _from the James Bond movie of the same name.

"Is that Gladys Knight?" Cue-Ball said

The lights flickered on and off.

"Secure the soldiers" Cue-Ball said, immediately assuming authority.

One of the henchmen removed the helmet off one of them, revealing chubby green features of Leonardo. Raphael and Donatello also swiftly remove their helmets.

"You freaks, what have you done?" said Conduit, "I can't maintain control on anything from up here"

"Blame Baxter, he gave us quite the low-down, particularly on how to upload a virus to your servers"

"Serve this up" said one of the henchmen, cracking his knuckles.

A swift battle quickly broke out between them and their opponents.

Raphael jumped on the pool table, and scooped up two pool cues, put them together with some duct tape from his belt buckle, and uses hem as a custom kendo stick, knocking some of the henchmen senseless.

Donatello did several somersaults as the henchmen tried to connect with punches, on the fifth somersault, Donatello grabbed two pairs of legs and lifted them up when pulling off a sixth somersault, bringing them to the ground, as he picked himself up, he threw two arms back and brought them head-first into two men behind him.

He took out his bo staff and slammed one end into one thug and then swiftly spun around and threw the same side into the other Thug, before bringing the back end of the stick down on the thug's neck.

A previously felled thug gained a second wind and tries to rush Donatello, but he swung around and pelted him in the face with a swift punch and pushed the staff into his chin, felling him once more.

Leonardo approached Conduit and pinned him against the malfunctioning computer hub

"I have two questions for you" he said

"Wha-what would those be?" Conduit asked

"One/: Where's the rat? And two: Did you happen to step on him? 'Cause I'm not very good at dealing with that sort of thing" Leonardo said

Conduit pointed to the room leading to Saki's menagerie

"He'..he's in there" Conduit said

Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello entered the room. Inside, Donatello found a cage full of trapped birds, he pried open the cage

"Fly my pretties, fly" he said as the birds swarmed all over the room. Donatello opened up his arms to embrace the liberation of the creatures, until one of them deposited a dropping on his shoulder.

Leonardo spotted Splinter chained up to the wall up ahead

"Master Splinter" Leonardo said

Splinter was weak, but still capable of movement and speech, though his voice was slurred and slow.

"Fortunate that you are here...but your oasis lies in the Mirage"

"He means the theatre" Donatello said.

"Don and I will head over there, Raph, you look after Splinter"

"Hey, I'm very likely the one everyone will have a great time reading about if you're dumb enough to get us on the cover of every major newspaper in the country, how come I get to stay home?" Raphael asked

"You've asserted yourself well in many things Raph, this is another test. Besides, if we fall, we need you and hopefully Mike to rise" Leonardo said

"Yeah, Mike only ever rises when the alarm clock goes off"

The remainder of Bishop's team soon got the ok to rendezvous with the Turtles at the warehouse and began mopping up operations

"Time for a third question" Leonardo said as he spotted Cue-Ball being led away

"The mutagen, the mousers, what's the connection?"

"Don't...don't hurt me man, I'll tell you...the mutagen is in a highly sensitive container, it's wired to explode at the very denting of the metal alloy covering it. Only one thing is designed to penetrate it, the same devices coated in the stuff"

"The mousers" Donatello said

"Uh-huh, once the alloy is penetrated, the bomb goes off and the mutagen is blown across the city, the fall-out will turn anyone within a 100 miles radius into whatever they are closest in contact with" Cue-Ball replied

"So why were you lingering so long here?" Raphael asked

Conduit, also being led away, interrupted them

"We had made arrangements to flee the city before it could go off...but if you keep us incarcerated, we're all screwed...except you freaks of course, you'll probably mutate even further"

"Pray I don't turn into a gargantuan snapping Turtle" Raphael said, "Skies will turn blood red when that happens"

"Tell Bishop to arrange a mass evacuation" Leonardo instructed to the troops

"What do you think this is? A Saturday morning cartoon? By the time you even convince City Hall of this hair-brained comic book plot, you'll all be mighty muti-animals" Conduit replied

"One last question, seeing as there's usually four of us and I like to maintain that in spirit...you said something about your boss needing more than just a calling card this time for the feds to pin the blame on...what do you mean by that? What are these 'Foot Soldiers?'"

"They are ..a militant Ninja outfit that killed some close friends of our boss years ago. The people he used to work for didn't' want to go after them so he figured he would find a way to pin the blame on them for something. They were after mutagen on that fateful night so he thought it'd make for irony of some sort that every federal service in the known world would go after them if they were led to believe they had arranged for the city to transform into a mass mutagen melting pot" Conduit explained

"And in doing so, he also frames the people at the Technodrome since one of them created the mousers and the Foot Soldiers...so he takes revenge on the two forces that wronged him in life and makes life more difficult for them" Donatello realized.

"We've got to get to the theatre and stop this, and I mean now" Leonardo said. He and Donatello ran off

As Raphael helped Splinter up on his back and prepared to piggy-back out of the warehouse, he spotted something on the monitors, a first person POV of something that sounded angry, something that was snarling, something that had his eye set on a frightened old woman, someone being shielded by a familiar face

"Is that who I think it is?" Raphael said

"The fourth of us rises" Splinter said, as he recognized Michelangelo.

Outside the warehouse, Leonardo and Donatello clambered into the SWAT van and told the driver, dressed from head to toe in SWAT gear, to head to the Mirage theatre. The driver complied in a gruff pseudo-manly accent. The Turtles found that odd, but paid it no mind.

Unbeknownst to the Turtles however, the driver of the van was the furthest thing from a man, and as she titled her head up and lifted up her visor, she wondered just how long she could maintain her charade.

"So far, so good..." Irma said to herself.


	54. Chapter 54

**CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR**

Inside the Mirage theatre, having accessed it via breaking through the back entrance, there was a faint flicker of light as Rocksteady and Bebop navigated their way through dark corridors using a small lantern they had appropriated from elsewhere in the building, they were looking for a place to place the bomb. Saki was behind them setting up a video camera.

"Boss, can I ask you something?" Rocksteady spoke.

"Ask. But make it quick" Saki replied

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"Dressed like what?" Saki replied

"Like some kind of Samurai" Rocksteady said.

"It's incognito" Saki said

"But why did you dress like that around us?" he asked

"Yeah, we all know what you look like" Bebop added

"I have to get into character" Saki explained.

"Character?" Bebop asked

"The world's great enemies need not a face, but a shadow. We will forever BE shadows, my mask, my outfit, my character, will convey that threat to those that watch the recording I'm setting up. Every great flight of a doomed bird requires a black box to go with it so when the fall is so great, those on the ground curious will reach for the box and find their answers..we will drop a name to associate with the shadow"

"...You got this from the Doctor Who marathon didn't you?" Bebop said.

"It matters not where the idea originates"

"Oh you so got him buddy Bebop...nerd" Rocksteady joked.

"Do you wish to stand 'wounded shoulder to shoulder' with Bebop?" Saki threatened, brandishing one of his gauntlets and delicately leaning it on Rocksteady.

"Carry on, carry on" an unnerved Rocksteady said

Saki pulled out a pocket device, the small LCD map depicted a map of their location, with the three of them represented by small dots, other dots were rapidly converging on the map outline.

"The mousers are almost upon us, open up some of the floorboards so they know what to climb out of, and leave the bomb there, place the homing beacon on it so they can converge on it, like rats to cheese" Saki instructed.

Rocksteady's heightened hearing picked up the wailing sounds of police sirens, he darted over to the window and several several cars and SWAT vans pull up, with a large crowd also beginning to form, there to witness the demise of the historic building, and now to see what was attracting the local law enforcement.

"Boss, we got company" Rocksteady said

"Impossible, the jammer is working is it not?" Saki said

"Yeah, it is, someone must have squealed for there to be any commotion" Bebop replied

"Deal with it. Immediately" Saki ordered.

"But there's people gathering out there" Bebop pointed out

"If it's any consolation, they won't be people for much longer" Saki replied

Within a minute or two, after all preparations had been made inside, the doors to the theatre burst open and out poured the wild and unfiltered rage of Bebop and Rocksteady as they pounded their fists into the assembled police cars and even dined on their attached sirens.

The two Turtles jumped out of their SWAT van to confront the dangerous duo.

"Plan of attack Don?" said Leonardo

"There's only so many hours in today to deal with all this, we've got to take them out quick and early"

"We can't let this spread to the people" Leonardo replied.

"Hey, mister, why are you dressed like a reptile?" said one of the young onlookers.

"All part of the show kids, just a little something to entertain you before the theatre comes down" said one of the SWAT members

"Nice save there mister" Donatello said

Unbeknownst to him, the SWAT member was Irma. And she was blushing brightly at the compliment.

"No way are you going to put us healthy dogs of war down" Rocksteady said.

A small capsule rolled beneath the Turtles feet and settled near Bebop and Rocksteady's location, it opened and released a purple, hazy concoction.

"I suggest you hold your breath" said another of the SWAT members. Leonardo and Donatello took in heavy gasps and held their breath. The gassy fumes did their magic on the two hulking mutants, and soon they drifted off to sleep

"Aw no fair, I was expecting some real action" said one of the disappointed and youthful bystanders

"We'd love to give you nothing better, but we were bound to go over budget, besides, this just shows how fantastic it is to have your local law enforcement and their resources backing you up in real life"

"I guess so" said the kid

Leonardo kicked Rocksteady ever so slightly to ensure he was out like a light

"Alright, thanks to this cost-cutting measure, we've got the time and the energy to tackle the incoming Mousers and locate the bomb" he said, and entered the theatre through what remained of the front entrance.

"Don't worry about them folks, we're just collecting some leftover props they need for their show at the new theatre downtown" Irma said, coming up with another excuse

"You're very quick at this, but keep up this kind of spin, and we'll have no choice but to actually put on a show for those folks when we get out" Donatello whispered

"Oh I don't know, I think you've got a real knack for keeping the kids entertained" said Irma, almost slipping rather too easily into her familiar high-pitched nerdy female voice, she quickly switched to something a bit more gravely toned when Donatello asked why she sounded so familiar.

"Just what is you intend to do when we confront the mousers?" she asked

"Baxter cracked and gave us the command codes to dismantle the whole network, all I have to do is yell out the code and they'll stop dead in their tracks...the code has to be said in precise and consistent order though, if there's the slightest interruption, you have to repeat the sequence all over again"

"So provided they don't stop us dead in OUR tracks, everything should be fine" Irma asked

"This is definitely one of those times where being a Turtle pays off...we have to take things very slowly" Donatello replied

Steeling herself for a tough ordeal, and wondering how long she could keep this masquerade up, Irma followed Donatello and Leonardo past the slumbering man-beasts and into the theatre, and into the dimly lit darkness.


End file.
